


The Hive

by VulpesVelox



Category: Furry (Fandom), Original Work
Genre: Abduction, Androgyny, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Anthropomorphic, Begging, Bondage and Discipline, F/M, Fear, Forced Crossdressing, Forced Prostitution, Humiliation, M/M, Mocking, Multi, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Object Insertion, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Violence, Stabbing, Stockholm Syndrome, Threats, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2019-07-02 23:43:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15806961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpesVelox/pseuds/VulpesVelox
Summary: 19-year-old fennec anthro Seki, an orphan who used to get through the day by street fighting, ends up in a new city and gets on Nero's bad side. Punishment follows immediately, but it's too late for apologies ...A story about lost pride, hate, love, and a fair amount of sex.





	1. Big Bad Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters on E621:  
> https://e621.net/post?tags=lollyfox

It was a hot, dry day. The sun had already started to set, wind was springing up and raised the dust on the ground. Seki enjoyed the cool breeze on his fur as he was walking along the promenade, taking in the new surroundings. Palm trees were lining the roads, and the city lights were already flickering to life. Neon signs and luminous advertising spangled the tall buildings, their rooftops seemed to touch the sky.

Dawnhaven was different from home. Or at least from what he had used to call his home for the past nineteen years. The skinny fennec fox with the feisty spirit and the big pierced ears was an orphan, making his way through life somehow. He had escaped the orphanage on his fifteenth birthday and lived on the streets ever since, getting through the day by either stealing or day work. It was enough to get something in his stomach, enough to find shelter for the night, but Seki wasn't satisfied with this kind of life. He had always longed for more, so tired of being chased or ordered around, so tired of feeling … powerless. Weak. Cast out.

The orphanage hadn't been any better. Even though there had been enough pups and kittens and foals around to understand his situation, Seki had never truly felt understood. He didn't even remember his parents' faces. It made him feel like somebody had just cast him into this world, without a purpose, and with no concept to handle this so-called gift named life.

Seki sighed, and stopped in his tracks to gaze upon the ocean surface, towards the horizon and the setting sun. No, those times were over. His life would change now. In fact, it already had.

Two years ago, Seki had joined a street fighting gang back in his hometown. The daily violence linked with the amazing feeling of success and victory had turned the fennec fox into a defiant, confident and feisty canine. He knew of his strength now, and there was no more room for feeling weak and powerless. Seki's reputation and his swift yet effective fighting style had brought him quite some recognition from other gangs as well, and due to the high amounts of prize money he earned on a daily basis, his life had become rather comfortable.

Comfortable … and so, so boring.

Dawnhaven was supposed to be a change of scenery. Seki had realized that staying in his hometown would leave him restless. Something was pushing him. He still wasn't satisfied with his life. And he was hoping to find satisfaction here, by the ocean, in this fancy new city.

Absorbed in thought, Seki kept wandering along the promenade and eventually made his way downtown. The sea had already swallowed up the sun, and he had to find a place to stay overnight. Money wasn't an issue anymore. That part surely never became boring. The fennec fox wasn't used to spending much, so he always had plenty to spare. However, he had gotten himself a couple of new clothes, and his diet consisted of more than pizza and instant ramen now. He also had rented a small apartment back home, with warm water, a tiny kitchen and a TV. That would be the first thing to take care of – to get himself a new place to stay. For now, though, a hotel would do.

Seki blinked a few times, his hazel eyes unfamiliar with the flashy, bright scenery. He looked around to find an adequate place to sleep at, nothing too expensive, although he definitely felt a certain need to splurge.

Distracted by all the colorful lights, screens and signs, and not paying too much attention to where he was going, Seki felt a sudden bump and immediately snapped out of his trance-like state of admiration.

“Hey, watch it!”

The fennec fox looked up at the 6'3 giant of a wolf he had just bumped into. His black fur was bristled and his eyes had a red gleam. He didn't seem very friendly, nor pleased about this harsh encounter. Three other male canines – a hyena, a mane wolf, and a dingo – teamed up behind him, not looking any friendlier than their leader.

Seki, however, remained calm. This was a typical situation he knew from back home. With obviously fake submissive gestures, and a mocking grin on his face, he stood up against the black wolf, who looked quite well-heeled.

“Need someone else to watch out for you?”, he sneered.

The black beast of a canine bared his teeth and turned back his ears. His followers did the same, yet stayed out of the conversation.

“What was that?”, the wolf growled.

Seki raised his tail confidently, still grinning, and shrugged.

“Oh, nothing, I guess a doggy like you just has to be treated with extra care. I hope you won't cry.”

The dingo snarled and took a step forward.

“You little – ”

He fell quiet when the black wolf gestured him to settle down. Then, the wolf's red, gleaming eyes stared at Seki again, who still didn't bat an eye.

“I can only assume you don't know who you're talking to, brat”, he said with a deep, dark voice. “I'm Nero, and you should remember that name well if you want to stay out of trouble.”

“Whatever”, Seki replied briefly.

Nero, huh? Was he the leader of a Dawnhaven street gang? He seemed rather full of himself.

The wolf turned away, giving Seki one last condescending look. His three followers slowly walked past the fennec fox as well, their snouts still wrinkled with anger.

Seki looked after them.

“Huh, so that's how things work in Dawnhaven”, he said loud enough for them to hear. “Is everybody in this fancy place so bigmouthed, or is that a street dog exclusive? You're all ta– ”

He couldn't talk any further. At incredible speed, Nero turned around, dashed towards Seki, and only a split second later, the fennec fox was forcefully grabbed by his throat and pressed against a wall. The impact was so strong that Seki felt all air getting pushed out of his lungs, and he gasped for breath. Nero's grip on his throat was tight and merciless.

“I was going to let you go, but you've crossed a line you should have stayed away from, _fox_.”

Seki struggled with all his might, his pulse was racing. This was bad. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, but it didn't feel good this time. This time was different.

This time, he was scared.

He tried to force out a few words of begging, but his voice failed him. All he could utter was hoarse whining. He had lost control.

“Dude's got some nerve, eh”, he heard the Hyena chuckle.

The anger inside Nero's followers seemed to have changed into sadistic amusement.

“What you gonna do to him, boss?”

Seki could hear his own heartbeat booming inside his head. Weakness. Defeat. He was powerless again. The fear took his breath away, it paralyzed his body, his vision narrowed down to the huge black wolf in front of him and those relentless, demonic eyes.

 

_What had he done …?_

 

Nero huffed and tossed Seki to the ground with incredible strength. The fennec fox cried out when he hit the asphalt and immediately tried to struggle back to his feet, but a heavy, booted foot on his back kept him down. Nero stepped down even harder when Seki attempted to free himself somehow.

“Indulge yourselves”, he said towards his followers, his voice was toneless. “Make him sorry.”

Seki cried out again when he felt a strong kick against his head. The next kick followed before he could even recover from the pain, and it didn't stop there. The fennec fox tried to curl up as far as possible, Nero's foot still between his shoulder blades, pinning him down. He tried to cover his head, his big ears laid back, his tail between his legs, eyes shut tightly, as Nero's gang continuously kicked and punched him, making him cry out and scream and flinch. All he felt was pain and fear, all he heard was malicious laughter and the impact of fists and feet, his own cries sounded so weirdly estranged to him.

“I'm sorry …”, he uttered, his voice merely a whisper, yet he forced out louder words eventually. “I'M SORRY! PLEASE STOP!!”

The impacts ceased, but not the pain. Seki's body was shaking, his breath went in waves. He didn't even dare to open his eyes.

“You're sorry?” Nero's voice was cold.

Seki nodded and sobbed quietly.

He felt Nero remove his foot from his back, yet he stayed in his halfway curled up position, too afraid to move, too afraid to do _anything_. Shame and embarrassment mixed with the fear.

His ears picked up the sound of a belt being unbuckled.

“Not sorry enough.”

The fennec fox was violently dragged to his knees, the dingo and the hyena took tight hold of his arms. Before Seki knew what was going on, Nero had already grabbed his hair, making him cry out once again, then forced his blueish-black cock deep into the fennec's mouth. Seki gagged and struggled, tears streaming down his face.

“Bite me and I'll make sure you won't keep a single one of your teeth.”

Seki could only sob in response, each thrust made him gag again, drool was dripping from his mouth as Nero fucked his face without remorse. The shame ruled out the fear. Seki knew that, at this point, his only choice was to comply. To endure the pain and the humiliation to save himself from whatever it was his abuser still had in stock for him. What he didn't know was that not even his compliance would help him anymore now.

Seki retched when he felt Nero's cock thrust down his throat harshly, the wolf still wouldn't let go of his hair even while cumming inside him with a satisfied growl. The fennec fox tried to cough when he felt the hot, sticky liquid slowly flow down his throat. But Nero wouldn't let go. And Seki knew what he had to do – if he wanted to breathe.

Reluctantly, he swallowed the load of cum along with his pride and almost retched again. The tears were still flowing. He coughed several times and gasped for air when Nero finally pulled out. His followers let go of Seki and he sank to the ground, buried his face in his hands and prayed that they would leave him alone. He couldn't stop himself from sobbing. The sour, salty taste of Nero's cum was still lingering in his mouth.

“Nice going, he looks better now”, the hyena said and chuckled again.

“What's wrong?”, the dingo sneered at Seki. “Swallowed your tongue, too?”

They both broke into freakish laughter.

“What will you do with him now?” The mane wolf finally spoke as well. “Let him go?”

Seki opened his eyes and carefully pricked up one ear. He just wanted them to leave already. His head hurt, and he couldn't take any more of this abuse.

“No.”

The fennec gasped and raised his head, imploringly looking up at Nero.

“Please … Let me go!”, he called.

A swift hit to the side of his neck knocked him out. He cried out one last time before sinking back to the ground. As he was losing consciousness, he heard Nero's voice again.

“Bring him to the Hive.”

The hyena's crazy laughter sounded again, then everything faded to black.

 

 


	2. Raw Meat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seki wakes up in the prep room and soon makes acquaintance with Lolly, the feisty fox-wolf hybrid, who shows the fennec exactly how things work in the Hive ...

Darkness.

When Seki awoke, he didn't know where he was. Everything was just dark. He blinked into the blackness, but it didn't change a thing. His head was still hurting, he felt the pain pulsating at his temples, and he shut his eyes again. A quiet, displeased groan escaped him.

He tried to relax, tried to think back to what had happened. Had he really gotten captured?

Fear flared back up inside him when he realized the situation he was in. His headache had first distracted him from the rest of his body, but now that he was trying to move slightly, he noticed it. He noticed the cold, hard metal embracing his wrists, keeping his hands over his head and shackled to the wall he was leaning against. The fear soon grew into blind panic when his failed attempts to free his hands reminded him of how helpless he was. He tensed up, forcefully tugging and tearing at his shackles, tossing his head around desperately and unable to scream. His snout had been taped shut, and all he brought forth was distressed panting.

After what seemed like an eternity of vain struggling, Seki gave up. It was pointless. He couldn't escape. The fennec fox settled down, a couple of tears ran down his cheeks again. He forced himself to breathe slowly and deeply to get the panic under control. It had already begun to cloud his mind.

Was he going to die here?

Unlikely. He tried to cast that unsettling thought aside. Not knowing whether it was better to be dead or alive in his current state. He didn't really want to know, either. However, he still didn't know where he was, nor what would happen to him.

Nero …

He remembered the black wolf's last words before he had passed out.

_Bring him to the Hive._

Seki wasn't sure what that meant. But still, it did ring a bell somewhere in the back of his mind. He had heard that name before, in combination with Dawnhaven. The Hive …

Could it be?

A clanking sound interrupted his thoughts. Seki's fennec ears immediately shot high into the air. Involuntarily holding his breath, he stared into the darkness, biding. He pulled his knees close to his chest, his tail already between his legs again, a pathetic protective measure.

For a moment, there was just silence, then he heard the sound of a door being unlocked, and the creaking of a rusty door hinge. Light flooded the room, and Seki narrowed his eyes, rapidly blinking a few times. The silhouette of a sturdy fox appeared in the doorway.

Seki tensed up again, pressing his upper body against the wall as if he was hoping the cold concrete would just swallow him, allow him to escape. But it didn't. Of course it didn't.

“Heya, newbie.”

The fox had a friendlier voice, but it held a somewhat mocking undertone. He closed the door again and locked it, then switched on the light. Cold white neon tubes flashed to life at the ceiling, they weren't as blinding as the light that had filled the room a second ago, so Seki had an actual chance of taking a proper look at his surroundings – and his red-furred visitor. He expected the fox to be about his own age, possibly a bit older. His frame was rather athletic, but he was taller and not as slim as an average fox. It seemed like his ancestry didn't consist of one species only. His body type reminded more of a wolf, however, the rust red fur, white belly and snout, and chocolate colored limbs definitely put him into the fox category. And of course, that feisty grin …

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Seki turned down his ears in response, as his restrictions wouldn't allow him to speak. He sized up the fox once more, those green vivid eyes met his own. Seki shuddered and looked away, but the sight of his surroundings made him shudder even more. This wasn't just any room.

The fox, seemingly amused by Seki's distress, laughed shortly.

“Like it? This is the prep room. Welcome to the Hive, newbie.”

Seki's eyes were full of terror as he processed what he saw. The room looked like it was cut straight out of some hardcore porn movie. Or – to Seki – like a torturing chamber. The steel shelves at the broad side of the room held all kinds of bondage equipment and a great and colorful variety of items with the clear purpose of insertion, no matter which body opening, and Seki didn't even dare to take a closer look. Opposite to the shelves, positioned at the wall to his right, was a steel cage with black leather cuffs in each corner, obviously for restraint. Several chains and shackles were attached to the walls, similar to the ones that kept Seki in place. Deeply disturbed, the fennec stared at the fox, trying to speak up, trying to beg, but his snout was still kept shut.

The Hive. He knew where he was. He had picked it up some time ago, when talking to his friends, but they had treated it more like some urban legend. It was the biggest brothel in the area, particularly known for covering even the most sickening, most questionable fetishes there were, but Seki hadn't really listened due to his lack of sexual interest. And now …

“Heard you got in trouble with the boss. Bad boy”, the fox snickered. “We can't have that, can we.”

Seki automatically tugged at his restraints again when the fox came closer, contentedly enjoying a pink lollipop. His tongue was bright blue and almost seemed to glow.

“I'm Lolly. You can make your own conclusions, right? I'm here to break you in.” He pointed the lollipop at Seki's chest. “Mmh, besides, they turned out nicely.”

Seki glanced at Lolly, quite distrusting, before slowly lowering his head and looking down at his bare upper body. His blood ran cold when he saw what it was the fox had meant. His nipples had been pierced with bead rings during his unconscious state.

“NO!!”, he tried to scream, but could only utter muffled cries.

_What the hell was going on?!_

Lolly laughed again. “That was my idea. We usually just pierce gals, but hey, you'd make a good bitch, might as well treat you as one.”

Without paying any attention to Seki's panicked whining and struggling, he continued. “Now, now … Where do we start?”

Seki desperately shook his head. Despite his awareness that he wouldn't be able to speak at all, he kept trying, again and again, working against the tape wrapped around his snout, and again and again, he failed.

“I take it you've already made the acquaintance with our boss's cock, so let's spare you the trouble of going through another deep-throat session, huh?” Lolly patted Seki's head and smirked before placing the lollipop back in his mouth and turning towards the shelves.

“Hmm, what have I got for a little fennec bitch …”

Full of fear, Seki observed the fox. This couldn't be happening. This had to be a nightmare …

Lolly was starting to collect a couple of things from one shelf, his white-tipped tail wagging from one side to the other, like he was genuinely enjoying himself.

“This should do”, he muttered with the lollipop still in his mouth. “Haven't had any raw meat in a while. And _damn_ , I love raw meat.”

Seki tried to shuffle away from the fox, he knew that this metaphorical 'raw meat' was his own body, and that whatever Lolly would do to him would be pleasant for the fox, but absolutely terrific for himself. Concerned, Seki eyed the collection of items Lolly had brought along – a spreader bar, lube, a taser, and a black knotted dildo resembling a dog cock – and, with even greater concern, the clearly visible bulge in Lolly's pants. Lolly grinned and picked up the taser.

“Now, you be good, or this pretty thing here will shock you into submission.”

Seki gulped. Resistance or not, he would come out on the short end. The ever-present fear paralyzed him just as well as the jolt of a stun gun would. So he remained motionless, even when the shame took over again as Lolly began to remove Seki's pants. Once he was fully exposed, he couldn't help but turn his head away slightly, staring into nothing, trying to pretend that this wasn't happening. His bristled tail between his legs covered up his crotch.

“Come on now, don't be shy”, Lolly sneered, obviously relishing the sight. “That tail won't help you anyway.”

Seki closed his eyes when he felt Lolly attaching the cuffs of the spreader bar to his ankles, which forced his legs apart even further. Heat rushed to his face.

“Let's get started, shall we?”

Seki's entire body immediately cramped when the fox pulled aside his tail, his last line of defense, and his experienced fingertips, covered in cold, sticky lube, found their way inside the fennec's ass. He squirmed and groaned and whimpered pathetically at this sensation, and even more so when Lolly proceeded to shove his fingers further into him.

“Relax, newbie”, Lolly seductively whispered into Seki's ear. “I'll make you feel real good.”

But Seki couldn't relax. His whole body – and his mind – were rebelling against this intrusion. He kept squirming and whining, yet held back his tears in order to not grant Lolly any more satisfaction. This nightmare was real.

“So uptight”, Lolly said, and it sounded almost as if he was scolding a naughty child. “I got something for you.”

He removed his fingers from Seki's ass, which made the fennec fox sigh with relief. However, the relief didn't last, as the red-furred canine inserted another small object in him, and Seki couldn't make out what it was.

“Let it dissolve, and feel the magic”, Lolly chuckled. “Suppositories are my favorite. So rapid-acting.”

A drug?!

Seki shook his head again hysterically, not knowing what exactly it was that this lunatic of a fox had just put inside him, and he began writhing, trying to somehow rid himself of the suppository. But Lolly wouldn't let him. Within seconds, he had forced his fingers back into Seki's ass, keeping the capsule in place.

“Nu-uh. You wanna get shocked so badly?” Almost tenderly, Lolly nibbled at the fennec's left ear, his unoccupied hand playing with Seki's newly obtained nipple piercings. “I'll help you unwind. Just be a good boy and wait a little longer, yeah?”

Stripped of all choices, Seki nodded tentatively. The heat in his face was increasing, and soon, he felt that hot sensation all over his body. The drug was kicking in.

“Yeah, that's a good boy, just relax.”

Lolly inserted a third finger and gently began to move in and out, spreading the fennec's asshole a little further each time. Seki was still squirming, but the drug in his system made his inhibitions fade more and more. He tried to fight it, but the feeling was too overwhelming. It wasn't long before his quivering body desperately yearned for more stimulation. Everything was so hot. Little moans of pleasure escaped Seki's throat, and the fear was gone. Only the shame remained. But with every heartbeat, another wave of heat washed over him, taking a part of the shame away, numbing his brain, and it just felt so amazing.

“I told you I'll make you feel good”, Lolly cooed, then pulled out his fingers and readied the black silicone dildo. “Bet you haven't been this hard in ages.”

Seki was embarrassed when Lolly pointed out his erection, but it was too late for denial. He was already dripping. Precum was sticking to the fur at his lower belly. And at this point, the humiliation only added to Seki's arousal.

He moaned again when the fox started shoving the well-lubed silicone cock into him, and his toes curled. Without thinking, Seki began to move his hips, shifting, rocking. He wanted it so bad. He didn't care about anything else anymore. Not about being captured, not about being completely exposed. Waves of pleasure kept crashing down on him. He felt ecstatic.

Lolly grinned and continued to manually fuck the fennec fox senseless, while undoing his own pants and starting to jerk himself off as well.

Both foxes were panting and moaning now, Seki tugged at his shackles again in frustration. But this time, he just desperately wanted to touch himself, he was weirdly turned on by Lolly jerking in front of him, and he wanted to cum. He _really_ wanted to cum.

Lolly, however, obviously not any less aroused, was faster. With a soft growl, upon his last strokes, the fox came right onto Seki's crotch, and sighed contentedly. What came along with that, though, was much less pleasant for Seki, as Lolly stopped working him with the dildo. Though still inside the fennec, the thrusts ceased.

Seki whimpered, shifting and rocking his hips, with begging looks. He didn't want it to stop. He needed release.

“Now, wasn't that fun”, Lolly said. “I'm proud of you, newbie. But you still have so much to learn.” He snickered while readjusting his pants. “You messed with Nero. A little cum denial will do you good.”

Seki shook his head. _No. Please._

The fox laughed. “So docile now, are we? I'll see you later.”

Seki tore at his restraints, making small noises of desperation. But it was no use. Lolly turned away and walked back to the door.

“Be a good little bitch.”

He switched off the light and left. The door was locked again. Seki was left behind in the dark, still hot and needy, desperate to cum. The drug effect was far from wearing off, and Seki tried his best to get into a position that would allow him to fuck himself with the black silicone cock still inside him, which wasn't too easy due to the spreader bar and his shackled wrists. He yelped frustratedly.

_Fuck you, Lolly._

_And fuck me._

 

_Please._

 

 


	3. Stigma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lolly kicks back for a bit and gets an unexpected visit from his half-sister Neva. Their chat turns into a little throwback, but Neva knows exactly how to cheer up her brother.

Lolly was sauntering along the corridor, which was illuminated by Asian lanterns, giving the section quite an exotic touch. It was closed off to most clients, as this lounge-like area was meant for the relaxation and retreat of the prostitutes working at the Hive. Providing plenty of comfortable couches, pillows and armchairs, and a small bar including salty snacks and a coffee machine, it was the perfect place to kick back. A fancy rec room, so to say.

It was late, and most of Lolly's colleagues were at work. As for him, he had decided to take a short break after taking care of the newbie. He had left him back at the prep room to cool down. Lolly often used this procedure on more rebellious ones to make them compliant – and it worked incredibly well. Even though it usually took more than just one session of drug-induced ecstasy, most newbies who were unfamiliar with the work at the Hive already resisted much less after the first time. Mostly, it was the shame that made them comply, along with a dash of excitement. Lolly knew how to use sexual pleasure to bend someone's will. And, even more so, the lack of it. The carrot-and-stick approach never failed its desired effect.

The fox slumped down on a couch and reclined his head. What a lovely day. It was always fun to work with new ones. And that fennec would be a _lot_ of fun, he just knew it. He loved the wild ones, the ones with fire, that he could break bit by bit. From what he had seen, the fennec was completely unfamiliar with the feeling of defeat. It had fully paralyzed him. Lolly would make him grow fond of that feeling. Foxes made the best subs among all canines. It was in their genes.

Lolly was a switch, and while most of the time he seduced and pleased his clients from a submissive position, he had a sadistic and dominant side as well. He was half wolf, and it showed. Nero had assigned him to teach newcomers the ropes, and that way, Lolly remained pleasantly even-tempered. Both of his sides got their attention.

Lolly looked up when he heard quiet footsteps approaching.

“Oh, hey sis!”

A clean-limbed silver fox girl wearing hot pants and a crop top had entered the section. She gave Lolly a warm smile and waved.

“Hi.”

Lolly sat up.

“What are you doing here? No work tonight?”

She shook her head and made herself comfortable next to Lolly on the couch.

“Nah, I took a few days off. Halo has been bothering me and I don't wanna see him.”

“That's what happens if you date a guy who works at a bar in a strip club.” Lolly smiled. “Seriously, though. I can't believe you still work there. You deserve so much better, Neva.”

She chuckled. “Says the guy who works at the city's biggest brothel.”

Lolly shrugged. “Eh, well, it's not like _you're_ the family disgrace.”

He felt himself become extremely sad all of a sudden as he spoke these words. Neva noticed, and leaned against him, rubbing his back. “Don't say that, bro. Please. You're not a disgrace.”

“Whatever”, Lolly muttered, pushing his bad feelings aside. “I like it here, you like it there. Guess it's all good.”

She nodded. “Mhm.”

There was a silence. The only sound was caused by the soothing ripple of the small ceramic indoor fountain. Lolly stared into space, his ears were droopy. He didn't really want to turn this into a trip down memory lane.

His half-sister, Neva, who was a couple of years younger than him, was dearly beloved by everyone in the family. That didn't exclude Lolly himself. Even though they only had the same mother and different fathers, Lolly loved Neva more than anyone else in his family. She was the only one who actually saw something good in him. And, more importantly, she was the only one who hadn't abandoned him. Whenever he felt like he should just disappear, Neva was there to let him know that he was needed. And that he was fine just the way he was.

Lolly himself had no more contact with his family whatsoever. Joining the Hive had been the last straw. His chances of making anyone proud had been reduced to zero, so he had broken away. Growing up, he had always felt the stigma of being an unwanted child – the result of involuntary pregnancy. Not like Neva.

Soon, the young fox hybrid had picked up questionable behavior, caused by frustration and the desperate desire for affection. More often than not, he had spent the afternoons in his dimmed room, jerking off to Deep Web porn or hooking up with classmates, and the sexual pleasure somewhat helped with the frustration, but not with the loneliness. It wasn't long before he was known as _that one slutty fox_ , which sometimes resulted in abusive situations, and Lolly was well familiar with random bathroom stall rape or forced blowjobs behind the school building during lunch. But his rapidly developing masochism had enabled him to enjoy even the sickest of such sessions.

His family had always looked away, especially his mother. Nobody had ever really cared about his doings, even though his reputation as a hobby hustler didn't stay a secret for long, of course. Once his mother had married and given birth to Neva, Lolly bolted.

Now, he was with the Hive, and it felt like home. He could do what he was best at, and his payment was more than fine. On top of that, nobody shamed him for his inclinations anymore – except if it was for the sole purpose of humiliation during a session.

Neva had always insisted on keeping contact, and even though Lolly had blocked her out at first, he was glad she had been so persistent. She was a lovely sister, and pretty at that, with shiny silver fur inherited from her father, and nice curves. It wasn't like Lolly didn't ever include her in his fantasies, but incest really wasn't his thing, even though he often wondered how Neva was in bed. She worked at a strip club downtown and was dating Halo, the Siberian husky bartender.

What bugged Lolly was that out of all opportunities, and with all the support she got from her parents, Neva had chosen to be a stripper. She was smart, she could be anything she wanted, yet she had settled for dancing in front of needy clients and grinding against a pole. But then again, he wasn't any better.

“Oh, right!” Neva's voice cast him back into reality. The she-fox reached into her small handbag. “There's that fair downtown at the moment. Aaaand~” She pulled out a big rainbow-colored lollipop, wrapped in plastic foil and neatly decorated with a ribbon around the stick. “I just had to get you one.”

Lolly's face immediately lit up. He hadn't chosen his nickname for no reason – he really loved lollipops.

“Awesome, thanks!” He took the sweet candy present and gave Neva a little kiss on the cheek. “You're the best. The rainbow ones are my favorite.”

She giggled. “I know just how much you like sucking on things.”

Lolly poked her in the side. “Hey, what's that supposed to mean?”

They both laughed. Neva loved teasing him, but she could also be serious and listen. Lolly knew that she would never judge him. That's why she was the best sister ever.

“Anything interesting going on today?”, she eventually asked.

“Ya, we got a newbie. He got in trouble with the boss, now I gotta make sure that won't happen again.”

“You mean, like, rape him.”

“Hey, it's not rape if they like it.”

She chuckled. “I guess so.”

Lolly got up. “I should probably check up on him. It's been a while, he should have cooled down by now.”

“Does he look good?”

Lolly grinned and flipped back his black hair with the neon blue and green dyed strands. “Not as good as me.”

Neva looked at him partly annoyed, partly amused. “Of course not.”

She got up as well and they slowly left the lounge, still chatting. Lolly had his arm wrapped around her waist. He enjoyed bodily contact.

“Well, now that we got that little troublemaker, maybe Nero will stop picking on me for a while”, he joked.

“Oh boy”, Neva chuckled again. “Has he been hard on you again?”

“Don't ask”, Lolly replied. “Last time I got on his bad side he put me in lockdown. Do you know how cruel it is to jam someone's cock into a tiny cage, chain them up, then make them really horny? I had to stay in lockdown for a freaking hour.”

They stopped in front of the staircase. “Aww, poor you.” Neva stroked his cheek. “I wouldn't know, but maybe Halo does.” She winked.

Lolly smirked at her. “You little bitch.”

The she-fox smiled back, and they eventually said goodbye. Lolly looked after his sister until she was out of sight. Then, he viewed the lollipop in his hand again, and he felt warm inside.

“Thanks, sis”, he murmured.

He turned around, and made his way back to the prep room.

Time for round two.

 

 


	4. All Is Vanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seki is still kept in the prep room, and due to Lolly's experience on how to handle rebellious newbies, the fennec's body soon gives in to the pleasure. It's only a matter of time until his mind shuts down, too ...

The heat was gone, but Seki still hadn't settled down. A horrible mix of despair, frustration and arousal was raging inside him. His mind was clear again – the drug had stopped working, allowing him to reflect on the shameful incident from earlier. But he pushed it away. He couldn't accept that he had enjoyed it. He blamed the drug, but it didn't ease the shame at all.

Seki hated himself for allowing Lolly to do these things to him. He hated his body for giving in. And, even though a little floppy by now, his cock was still somewhat hard. The black dildo inside his cramped ass was keeping the stimulation alive. He had tried to rid himself of it, but, just like during his earlier attempts to fuck himself, he had failed. It was too deep inside, and the knot kept it in place. Struggle was useless.

Would this be his new life now? Seki couldn't believe it. He had jumped out of the frying pan and right into the fire. This wasn't what he had hoped for at all. This was just insane.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard the door being unlocked again. Lights flashed once more. The fox had returned. And so had Seki's panic.

“I'm back, cutie pie”, Lolly cooed. “Have you been enjoying yourself?”

Seki could only growl, his ears pinned to the back of his head.

“I think it's time we have a proper conversation”, the fox said. “You know, to make this all a little more personal.”

He rummaged around in a box on the bottom of the shelves and fished out a pair of bandage scissors, then approached Seki, who didn't dare to move and just stared at the fox. With surprisingly careful movements, Lolly shoved the lower blade of the scissors between the tape and Seki's snout and slowly began to cut. Seki held still.

“I bet you still got a lot of questions, newbie”, Lolly said while ridding the fennec fox of the tape. “I'll see if I can answer them. But don't give me that 'Please let me go' fuss, it's not gonna happen.”

Seki groaned and immediately opened his jaws once the tape was removed. For a moment, he thought about thanking the fox, but when he remembered the humiliating situation he was in, he decided not to.

“Who are you and why the hell am I here?”, he snarled. But his voice was shaky.

“I thought I told you, my name is Lolly”, the fox replied and put the scissors back. “And you're here for the same reason as me. To serve, comply, and get fucked.”

Seki tugged at his shackles. “I don't want this!”

“You'll learn to like it.” Lolly sounded almost bored, he wasn't even looking at desperate Seki.

“I'm pretty sure this isn't even legal!”

The fox huffed. “Everything is legal if you got enough influence and money, and Nero isn't exactly short on either.” He glanced at Seki. “And you don't really look like you got anyone waiting for you.”

“You son of a –”

“I understand why they taped your pretty little snout shut. I can silence you again if you don't pipe down. As I said, you're not going anywhere.” The fox walked past Seki, his fluffy tail stroked the fennec's face. He pointed towards the steel cage. “If you're still not convinced, I can put you in there, too.”

Seki wanted to reply with another insult, but his brain told him not to. So he just lowered his head. “No thanks …”, he said contritely.

“Good boy”, Lolly answered. “That's what I like to hear. Now, rule number one at the Hive, if you're told to do something, you do it. You don't question it, you don't make a scene, you just do it, aight?”

Seki screwed up his face, he didn't look at the fox. “What if it hurts …”

“Then you're too tense.” It was a brief answer, so casual, Seki couldn't even believe that Lolly was serious. But he was.

“Look, sweetie – what's your name, by the way?”, Lolly interrupted himself.

“Seki …”

“Alright, Seki, listen up, if you want drugs, you get drugs. I know you enjoyed our little one-on-one session earlier, and I know you're still really keen on getting fucked.”

Seki looked away and growled quietly. He felt the heat rush back to his face, and to his crotch. His cock twitched. Within moments, he was just as hard as before. And he couldn't do anything about it. Why couldn't he do anything about it? His tail automatically curled in again, but it was too late anyway.

“I don't want to get fucked. I'm not a –”

“Slut?”, Lolly cut him off. “Oh, but you are. As we speak, you're thinking about what the real deal would feel like, aren't you? Real skin … real sex.”

The fennec tensed up. His asshole was clenching around the silicone, and the heat increased.

“I …”

“Just admit it, this is turning you on. You can't wait to be someone's good little bitch, can you?” Lolly grinned, his white fangs were mocking the fennec. “The sooner you accept it, the more fun you'll have, trust me.”

Seki wouldn't stop trying to break away from his restraints. It was better than doing nothing, but it was still pointless. His mind was fighting his body, and his body was winning.

“Dammit”, he uttered under his breath. He _was_ turned on. He didn't know how this was possible, but there was no denying it. It hadn't been just the drug …

Lolly crouched down in front of him, with a dark smile on his face.

“If you beg, I'll fuck you real good.”

Seki groaned. “I'm not gonna beg for anything”, he forced out.

“Really now?”

The fennec fox tried to suppress an outcry of pleasure when Lolly slowly pulled out the silicone dildo, inch by inch. The friction was enough to cast Seki back into a state of extreme arousal. He squirmed.

“Nghh … _fuck_ …”

“Stop lying to yourself”, Lolly whispered. “You know this feels good.”

Seki shook his head. “No … I …”

He couldn't continue as Lolly pushed the hot, sticky object back inside him with a single motion, and Seki moaned loudly. His toes curled again, and his brain went numb.

“Oh god … Just fuck me …”, he uttered. “Please …”

He was too embarrassed to look at the fox, but Lolly seemed to be pleased.

“How bad do you want it, bitch?”

Seki gasped for breath. “ _Really_ bad …”

He couldn't fight it anymore. He had to give up.

Lolly smirked, stood back up and undid his pants, then placed his hard, radiant blue cock in front of Seki's face.

“Prove it, bitch.”

Seki had tossed all inhibitions aside. His thoughts were revolving entirely around getting fucked. His balls were aching by now from the constant stimulation and the lack of release. He opened his mouth to take Lolly in, and he started to lick and suck.

“Mmh, that's a good boy”, Lolly sighed. “You're a natural talent.” The fox stroked Seki's hair gently. “You deserve a reward.”

Seki looked up at him devotedly, his mouth still occupied with Lolly's cock. Lolly pulled out and began to remove the cuffs from the spreader bar.

“Let's get to business.”

Seki nodded in response, his pleading eyes riveted on the fox, and licked the drool from his chops. “Yes please …”, he whispered.

Lolly removed the spreader bar along with the black silicone cock. Once again, Seki squirmed and moaned. The fox grabbed hold of Seki's trembling thighs, keeping them apart, then entered his quivering, waiting asshole.

Seki tossed his head from one side to the other, endorphines shot through his veins with every heartbeat, and he cried out. Lolly felt so hot, so close, so _real_. Everything around the fennec fox seemed to vanish, it was just the two of them and the heat. And the pleasure.

Lolly licked Seki's snout, fucking him agonizingly slowly, working towards that explosive end.

“Is this what you wanted?”

“Fuck yes”, Seki moaned, his voice didn't seem to belong to himself anymore.

He felt Lolly's thrusts getting faster, harder and deeper. Each thrust triggered another wave of perfect satisfaction.

“Still so tight …”, Lolly uttered with a dash of euphoria.

Seki arched his lower back and moved his hips in sync with Lolly, he felt like he was about to overflow. Lust and pleasure were making him dizzy, and he kept moaning and crying out. The heat was almost unbearable now, and he knew he was about to have the orgasm of his life.

Lolly wouldn't stop rutting him, he was panting and growling. It was like a frenzy.

“I … I'm gonna cum …”, Seki yelped.

“Good boy, cum for me”, Lolly replied breathlessly, biting his fangs into Seki's neck.

The fennec threw back his head and whined loudly at the sensation, and shortly after, he felt the moment of release. He gasped as his cum spattered his chest and parts of his lower face, adding to the mess that Lolly had left on his nether regions.

Lolly kept working him, his short claws were digging into Seki's sensitive thighs. He moaned just like the fennec had, his thrusts were rough and hard. Seki kept flinching, he couldn't take this sensual overflow.

One last deep thrust, and Lolly stopped. He let out a deep, long sigh of satisfaction. Seki could feel the twitching cock inside him, releasing a load of hot cum. Both foxes were all out of breath.

“I knew you'd make a nice little bitch”, Lolly snickered, his breathing was still recovering from the orgasm. He pressed his hot body against Seki's. Seki leaned in and their foreheads touched.

“I guess that's what I am …”

Seki's voice was very quiet. Although still overwhelmed by the orgasm, he felt those nagging, bad feelings crawl in again. And they were persistent. The heat faded slowly, and the shame grew stronger.

This was it. This place was his future. There was no more room for pride, he had been downgraded to a fuck toy within less than 24 hours. His freedom was gone.

And yet he enjoyed it?

Seki exhaled deeply when Lolly pulled out his cock. He felt some of the cum dripping back out. How had he gotten into this.

“Don't be ashamed, newbie”, Lolly said. “This place isn't so bad. Three square meals a day, free medical treatment, you'll even get the permission to go out later on if you behave yourself.”

Seki didn't respond immediately. He just stared to the ground.

“But I …”

“Don't worry about it.” The fox patted Seki's head. “Now, let's get you cleaned up."


	5. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lolly shows Seki to his room, and the exhausted fennec fox finally gets some rest. 16-year-old Snow, a little feminine white wolf, stops by for comfort.

Seki didn't like the stares. Those stares that everyone gave him when Lolly was leading him away from the prep room, stares that reminded of a predator observing its prey. He was catcalled a couple of times, once by the hyena that he recognized from his encounter with Nero. Seki kept his tail low and tried to evade the stares by casting down his look while he was following the fox through the localities. The Hive was huge, and it had several floors. The top floor, from what Lolly had told him, was mainly for employees. Seki had huffed condescendingly at that word.

The two foxes took an elevator at the end of a corridor, Lolly was carrying a key to access it. None of them said anything. Seki was too embarrassed, and Lolly, well – he had no idea what was going on inside that guy's head. Probably, he was already thinking about how he could humiliate the fennec best next time. Seki let his ears droop.

The silence was awkward, yet he didn't find any words to say. It didn't matter, however, as what he saw once the elevator doors slid open again at the top floor left him speechless. He was aware by now that the Hive was nothing for the impoverished, but the view of the section exclusively for prostitutes was something else. It had quite an Asian touch, due to the colorful lanterns lining the corridor leading away from the elevator. They spread a dim, yet pleasant light. The floor was layered with teak parquet, and the wall paint had a soothing, orange color.

“Not bad, huh?” Lolly nudged him with his elbow. “Come on, get going.”

Seki followed the fox further down the corridor, which opened into a rather large, carpeted area with plenty of comfortable looking seating possibilities. Sofas, couches and armchairs were all over the place, Chinese divider screens created a few niches across the room. To the left, there was a counter which also seemed to be made of teak wood, with a glass shelf behind holding all kinds of drinks and bottles. A small fountain was rippling in the middle of the room.

“Well, what do you say, newbie?” Lolly casually laid his arm around Seki's shoulders, and gave him a smirk. “Come on, we'll get you a room.” He grabbed Seki's wrist and pulled him along, as the fennec was still busy taking in his surroundings. Seki let it happen, his eyes were full of wonder. For the first time in a while, there were no bad feelings inside him. He was just too overwhelmed with what he saw, and with the beauty in it.

Another corridor led around a corner and away from the recreation room, there were several doors on the right side. They looked just like hotel room doors.

“This one's free.”

Lolly opened one of the doors and made a welcoming gesture. Hesitantly, Seki approached the room and entered it. His ears were cocked. There was a freshly made bed opposite to the entrance, as well as a nightstand with a fancily designed lamp. A big wardrobe towered at the right wall of the room. To the left, there was another door, which assumingly led to a bathroom.

“Shoo, shoo, now!”, Lolly called and pushed Seki towards said door. “At this rate, we'll never get you clean!”

Seki made a short noise of surprise and confusion as he was shoved into the bathroom. He looked down at his sticky fur, Lolly had only sporadically wiped away the cum earlier. A shower definitely wouldn't hurt now.

“You can take care of yourself, right?” Lolly was already halfway out of the bathroom door. “You'll get your stuff later. Just make yourself at hooooome~” The fox said those last words in a honeyed voice before he disappeared. Seki was once again left behind, he heard the room door fall shut. Just before he was about to inspect the bathroom further and undress, it opened again shortly.

“And no more frowning. Just think of all the fun we'll have tomorrow.”

Seki groaned in reply to Lolly's syrupy words.

“Fun, huh …”

He looked up into the mirror above the sink. An exhausted, bruised reflection looked back at him. He sighed, and began to undress, screwing up his face whenever he touched the sticky mess in his chest and stomach fur.

The shower was spacious, tiled white to match the whiteness of the rest of the bathroom. Seki stepped in and turned on the water. For a couple of minutes, he would just let it pour down on him, with his eyes closed, imagining that everything bad that had happened to him so far would get washed away and disappear in the drain. But no matter how much of the hot water washed over him, he still felt filthy. The only thing that had ceased for now was the fear. Seki was too tired to be scared now, and the hot, steamy shower was adding to the tiredness. Everything felt so heavy.

He turned off the faucet and blinked at the shower holder, where he discovered a transparent bottle with what seemed to be shower gel. He shrugged and opened it, then lathered himself with the soapy fluid. It was quite fragrant and bubbly, filling the bathroom with a pleasant smell. Seki felt good getting his fur clean again, and he stood under the running water for another couple of minutes, even after his body was fully rinsed.

When he stepped out of the shower, he shook himself contentedly, water drops spattered the mirror. His reflection, although still tired, looked a lot better to him now. He wrapped himself up in a towel, then opened the bathroom door a small crack to peek out. He was alone. His eyes fell on the black backpack leaning against the bed, it was his own, he recognized it. Lolly had probably brought it in while he had been in the shower. Quickly, with a dash of excitement, Seki padded towards the bed and sat down, then put the backpack next to him and looked inside. His tail was wagging a little, he was happy over at least _something_ familiar. And he was happy when he realized that none of his personal belongings were missing.

Well … none, except for his money.

Seki cursed. He should have expected this. The fennec fox let himself fall backwards onto the bed and stared at the ceiling with mixed feelings. What else were they going to take from him now? But it was no use to think about it. What was done, had been done, and there was no going back.

He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, then sat back up and pulled a fresh tank top and boxers from his backpack. Swiftly, he got dressed, tossed the towel aside and curled up on the bed. A small digital clock on the nightstand told him it was past 3am by now. But Seki didn't need a clock to tell him that he urgently needed sleep. His eyelids were heavy, and so was the rest of his body. His head still hadn't stopped aching completely, and neither had the bruises. It didn't feel like anything serious, but it was pain nonetheless. Enough to keep him from finally falling asleep.

Half an hour passed, and Seki kept dozing off, but the real sleep wouldn't come. Something was still keeping him awake, making him startle every now and then. The fennec fox began to sob again quietly. A few small tears dripped onto the bedsheets.

Not much later, he heard a hesitant knock at the door. He raised his head.

“Huh …?”, he uttered with a trembling voice.

The door opened, and a young white wolf peeked into his room. Seki couldn't tell whether it was a male or a female canine, as they had quite androgynous features. Black and purple dyed hair was falling into their face, partly covering the brown eyes.

“Hi.”

The voice told Seki that it had to be a guy. It was a gentle, somewhat shy voice.

“Hi …”, Seki replied, slightly confused. “You're …?”

“I'm Snow”, the teenage wolf answered. “I, uh … Can I come in?”

“Umm … Sure?” Seki sat up.

Snow entered the room and carefully closed the door again. Seki sized up the wolf. He was shorter than the fennec fox, and had an almost childlike frame. His arms were wrapped around an obnoxiously large stuffed teddy bear, he was dressed up rather feminine, with gray and black striped stockings and a black hoodie which seemed like it was a few sizes too big. On the skinny little wolf it almost looked like a short dress.

Snow tiptoed towards the bed, and sat down on the edge. He had a friendly face, with innocent eyes. “Lolly told me you're sad.” He tightly hugged his teddy bear. “So … that's why I'm here.”

Seki dropped one of his ears, still confused. “Lolly told you that?”

“Yeah.” Snow nodded. “He said maybe you need, like … cuddles.”

Seki stared at the white wolf. “C-cuddles …?” Now _that_ took a surprising turn.

“Yeah …” Snow looked to the ground, he seemed a tiny bit embarrassed. “I … I mean, I don't know if you like it, but … it helped me a lot when I first got here.”

Seki gasped quietly, tears welled up in his eyes again. He was quite moved. Snow's innocent attempts to make him feel better left him emotionally stirred. So that cute little canine worked here, too? It seemed so surreal. Seki was unsure whether he was awake or already dreaming.

“But … if not …” Snow presented the teddy bear to Seki. “There's this fair downtown. And, and, and, I won this, and it's really soft, and you can hug it, and …” He pointed at a little button on the chest of the plushie. “And if you press that button there's this _really_ nice melody, like, you know, not just some corny rustling baby music, it sounds really good!” Snow seemed rather excited by now. “And I thought … maybe … you need something to hug so you can sleep?”

Seki was speechless. He took the teddy bear, which had an extremely fluffy, soft texture, and he let his fingers run over it.

“I … thanks …”

Snow, obviously happy about Seki accepting his present, jumped up and wagged his tail.

“But if you want _real_ cuddles you can always let me know! I … I like cuddles. But … you know, just if it's not too weird for you.”

'I was beaten up and sexually abused, and for some sick reason I enjoyed it, and you actually care about my opinion when it comes to _cuddling_?' But Seki kept that to himself. He smiled through the tears.

“I'll let you know. Thank you, Snow.”

Snow smiled back brightly. “Okay!” He jollily skipped back to the door. “See you soon! Good night!”

“Good night.”

The teenage wolf shortly waved, still smiling, and left. Seki felt like the atmosphere in the room had changed. He felt lighter. Snow's happiness was contagious. He looked at the teddy bear again, and curled up on the bed once more, hugging the plushie tightly. And even though he felt somewhat awkward, he came to realize that this was exactly what he needed.

Comfort. Warmth.

He pushed his snout against the teddy bear, buried his face in the softness, and sobbed. It was hard for him to tell his emotions apart. He had no idea how he felt anymore. So he just let himself go, and cried. It seemed like the right thing to do.

This place was chaos. But whether it was heaven or hell, he yet had to find out.

Seki's fingertips hesitantly searched for the button that Snow had mentioned. Once he pressed it, a sweet, soothing melody filled the room, like an old music box, and Seki just lay still and listened. The sounds were harmonic, and wings of nostalgia carried him away. His breathing became calm and steady. The tears stopped flowing.

And the melody hadn't even stopped yet when Seki finally drifted off into a deep slumber.

 

 


	6. Work To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party is going to be hosted at the Hive, and Lolly is supposed to attend together with a few colleagues, including the cheetah lady Aluna. Nero, however, has other plans, and they include Seki ...

Lolly was up early, munching on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as he was browsing his schedule on the phone. It wasn't a tight schedule, so he would have just enough time to keep an eye on Seki as well, although it was unlikely that he would cause much more trouble. Lolly already had a couple of ideas what to do with the fennec fox, even while he himself was busy, and he was positive that Seki would do just well if rented out to the right customers – especially if he was drugged. The Hive had quite some demanding, almost sophisticated clients, but then there were also those who just wanted some quick sex and maybe a bit of fun with ropes and chains, nothing too wild, and those were the ones he would set on Seki for now. Lolly had already given him a taste, and that bit of resistance was nothing a nice dose of heat-inducing drugs wouldn't get under control. It wasn't supposed to become necessary on a daily basis, of course, but Lolly knew that it helped breaking in the new ones faster – it made them relax. Besides, the pills he handed out to them were non-addictive. It was a safe, yet convenient way to make them obedient. And it had worked just splendidly with Seki. Lolly knew there were other ways, and most of them involved violence, but he preferred his own subtle measures. He didn't like the idea of beating the resistance out of somebody. It was much more satisfying to make them give up by themselves. And much more effective. Punishment, sure – but the rewards were what did most of the work. That was the way to mold someone quickly. Everyone wanted to feel good.

Lolly licked his fingertips after he had finished his sandwich and put his phone in his pocket. He wouldn't work today until the late afternoon, so he decided to look after Seki and show him around a little more. It was a nice opportunity to introduce him to everyone.

The fox stood up and stretched, then grabbed his cup of milky coffee and took a sip.

“Morning, babe”, he heard a sweet voice coming from the entrance of the canteen. He looked towards the door. One of his female colleagues, a cheetah, still in her somewhat revealing sleepwear, had entered.

“Morning, Aluna”, Lolly replied and took another sip from his coffee. “You're up early.”

Aluna padded to the fridge and looked inside. “The early bird gets the dick”, she chuckled.

Lolly laughed. “Oh, so you're working.”

“Yes, babe”, Aluna purred, “though I'm looking forward to tonight much more.” She winked at him seductively.

Lolly caught himself staring at her cleavage, and shook his head shortly to actually focus on her face. “Oh, me too, girl”, he said with a smirk. “Me too.”

The Hive would be hosting a party in the evening, and Lolly and Aluna were both assigned to keep the guests company, together with a few others. And parties always meant two things – alcohol and sex. Mostly in that order. There would be a lot of making out, a lot of teasing, and a whole lot of realizing dirty fantasies. Lolly loved those parties, since they never got boring. And he loved to explore.

“I heard they brought in a puppy yesterday”, Aluna said. “How did that go?”

“Ah, that cutie of a fennec fox”, Lolly sighed. “Seki. Got in trouble with the boss, but I took care of him. He likes it here, he just doesn't know it yet.”

The cheetah giggled. “Well, I can't wait to meet him.”

“I'm sure.” Lolly raised his coffee cup as a goodbye gesture. “I'll see you tonight.”

Aluna smiled and nodded in response. Lolly left the canteen, which was located at the far end of the corridor leading back to the lounge, and he made his way to Seki's room. Shortly before he arrived, his phone rang. It was Nero. He answered the call.

“Lolly here, what's up?”

“I want to see you at my office”, was the brief answer.

Before Lolly could ask any more questions, his boss had already hung up again. Lolly gulped. What was it this time?

Without hesitations, he set out for the office. He was rather tense by now. More often than not, Nero wanted to see him because Lolly had gotten himself in trouble. However, Nero was always the real trouble, because he wasn't too merciful when it came to punishment. Lolly did his best to not displease his boss, but for some reason, Nero had an issue with foxes. And Lolly was the only fox at the Hive. Frequent conflicts were inevitable, although often unnecessary.

Lolly's heart was beating fast when he approached the office. It was located on the top floor as well, at the northern end, behind a heavy mahogany door. The fox raised his hand and knocked, his tail was bristled.

“Come in.”

Lolly pushed down the door handle and entered the office. Nero was sitting behind his desk, already awaiting him. His red eyes were resting on the fox.

“You wanted to see me?”, Lolly asked.

“Yes.” The black wolf leaned back in his armchair. “About that fennec. I understand he isn't in isolation anymore?”

“No, sir. He's behaving himself. I made sure of that.”

“Good, good.” Nero placed a file on the desk. “I've done some research on him. He's from Woodhill, grew up in an orphanage. Bolted with fifteen. Lived on the streets then, later joined a fighting gang. I assume that also contributed to his disrespectful attitude.”

Lolly nodded.

“In short, he has nowhere to go”, Nero continued. “Nonetheless, I don't want this here to be a nice fun hotel stay for him. He has to be put in his place.”

“Don't worry about that, sir”, Lolly replied. “I'm pretty su– ”

“You're holding back”, Nero cut him off. “This brat grew up on the streets. He has no respect. And you can't tell me you already have him under control by now.”

Lolly cast down his look. “He's a little volatile, but …”

“You won't be working tonight.”

“Sir?”

“He will take your place. Make sure he behaves himself, then I won't interfere with your … _methods_.”

Lolly looked up again, concerned, and he wanted to object, but he didn't get to.

“You're dismissed.” Nero's fiery eyes allowed no refusal. So Lolly didn't dare to make any reservations.

“Yes, sir.” He signified a bow, and turned around to leave.

With mixed feelings, he walked back to the dormitories. Even though he had gotten away just fine, he wasn't relieved. A part of him was worried about Seki.

Nero wanted him to suffer.

Because he was a fox, too …?

Lolly sighed. He didn't want Seki to break. Not like that. He felt strange, as he hadn't ever cared this much about a newbie before, but this time was simply different. He wanted to protect Seki from his boss. His own sadism differed so much from Nero's. It always resulted in mutual pleasure eventually. Nero wasn't like that. Nero was cold.

It wasn't like Lolly hadn't thought about bringing Seki to the party. It would surely be a fun experience. However, now that Nero had ordered him to do so, he was starting to doubt whether it was actually a good idea. And the more he thought about it, the more reasons he found not to bring him. But he had no choice.

“Why so glum, babe?” Aluna was coming his way, judging from her outfit she was just about to have a session with a client. “You looked so excited earlier.”

“The boss wants the newbie to take my place tonight”, Lolly answered bitterly.

“Oh, my. So you'll be missing out on all the fun?”

Lolly sighed. “That's not it.”

He stared to the ground. Silence reigned the corridor for a few moments.

“I just don't know if he can take it”, Lolly quietly added then. He couldn't believe he had said that. Being all empathetic with new ones wasn't something he was known for. And it wasn't something he _wanted_ to be known for. It was awkward to open up to Aluna that randomly.

The cheetah lady approached him and Lolly felt her hand caress his cheek.

“Then we just have to make sure he enjoys himself”, she whispered.

Lolly lifted his gaze. Aluna smirked and stuck out her pierced tongue.

“Right?”

Lolly smiled as well. She had his back. That was relieving.

“Right”, he replied and nodded confidently. “Thanks, girl.”

“Anything for my favorite fox”, Aluna said and blew him a kiss before disappearing at the end of the corridor. Lolly's smile remained. He felt reassured. As long as he and Aluna could be around, there was a chance that this night would actually be quite enjoyable for Seki. If he trusted them …

“Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me”, Lolly groaned quietly. He rubbed his left temple and drank the rest of his coffee, then walked over to Seki's room.

When he entered, Seki was still asleep. Lolly couldn't blame him. He carefully closed the door and looked upon the sleeping fennec fox, who was tightly hugging a large teddy bear. Obviously, Snow had paid him a visit the night before. Lolly's chops curled into a smile again. It was an adorable view.

“Good morning, cutie pie”, he cooed eventually and walked over to the bed. “We don't wanna sleep all day, right?”

A silent groan came back from Seki, he curled up a little more. Lolly perceived a muffled “Go away”. He chuckled.

“Come on, we'll have fun today”, he said. “I promise.”

“Yeah, you're full of crap”, Seki growled into his pillow.

Lolly gasped exaggeratedly shocked. “That's, like, _so_ rude.” He tugged at Seki's tail. “Get up, sleepyhead. We have work to do.”

It took a while to get Seki out of bed, but once he was up, his aggression was gone. He seemed rather annoyed, however, that was a good sign. He was well on the way towards acceptance. And for the time being, Lolly only needed Seki to accept him.

“So, what kind of work do we have to do, anyway?”, Seki asked resignedly. “I don't like it if a prostitute uses that word. Seems fishy.”

Lolly patted his head. “Relax.”

“Ugh, that's what you said last time.” Seki pushed Lolly's hand away.

“Well, did it work?”

Lolly saw the fennec blush, even though he did his best to hide it by looking away. His ears drooped. Lolly laughed.

“As a matter of fact, we're _both_ prostitutes now, so yes, _work_ means exactly what you think it means”, he said. “But don't worry, we'll take it easy. I'm gonna introduce you to everyone today. Think of the Hive as, you know, a family.”

“I'd rather not”, Seki grumbled. “I'm not into incest.”

Lolly opened his mouth for a comeback, but couldn't think of anything fast enough.

“Good one”, he said. “Now, let's get going. You're probably hungry.”

Seki nodded.

“I'mma show you the canteen. We'll probably run into a couple of my colleagues, so feel free to say hi.”

“Ours.”

Lolly tilted his head. “Excuse me?”

“You mean, like, _our_ colleagues.”

Lolly stared at the fennec fox for a few moments, then cracked a smile and put his arm around his shoulders. “Now we're talking, newbie.”

 

 


	7. Golden Cage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction time for Seki - lucky for him, Lolly knows how it's done best. About that party? Well ...

Seki couldn't believe he was still stuck at the Hive. But the way Lolly was treating the situation indicated that he wouldn't get to leave any time soon. So for the time being, he would just have to put a good face on the matter. His body was still aching slightly, and the fabric of his tank top was rubbing against his sensitive pierced nipples with every step, which was an extremely uncomfortable feeling. However, having his upper body covered still made him feel more comfortable than having it exposed, like the night before when Lolly had led him to the dorms.

Seki's stomach rumbled and reminded him of how hungry he was. Him and Lolly were walking down the dormitory corridor, which, according to the fox, led to the canteen. Seki was still amazed at how huge the Hive actually was. He wondered how it looked from the outside. He also wondered if he would ever get to go outside again. Lolly had told him he would get the permission to if he acted properly – and he hoped that was true. Seki missed the streets. He missed the outside. He even missed his boring hometown, if only just a little.

A sudden, strong bump from behind interrupted Seki's thoughts, and he startled.

“Morning, Seki!”

Snow had snuck up on him and was now hugging him tightly, his face pressed against Seki's back.

“Hey, you little rascal, don't go around scaring people like that”, Lolly admonished the young wolf.

“I'm sorry”, Snow mumbled into Seki's top. He let go eventually.

“Are you guys gonna have breakfast?”

“I've had mine, but Seki's gonna have some. I'll show him around today”, Lolly replied.

“Oh, there's that party tonight, right? Are you going?” Snow hopped in front of the two foxes and looked at them with big eyes.

Seki felt Lolly wrap his arm around his hips and pull him close. “Hell yeah, we're going.”

“Wait, what?”, he asked, trying to push Lolly away. “How come I don't know about this?”

Lolly nibbled at his ear. “It was a surpriiiise~”

“Yeah, right.” Seki already had a bad feeling. Was this the kind of work Lolly had mentioned?

“Well, I'm gonna have some cornflakes”, Snow said. “Do you like cornflakes, Seki?”

“Umm … yeah”, Seki answered, not sure whether the question was about his general opinion on cornflakes or whether he had just decided what to have for breakfast.

“Okay, I'm gonna pour you a bowl, too!” Snow turned around and ran ahead, providing Seki with a clear answer.

“Oh boy”, Seki whispered. That little wolf was a bundle of energy.

“Huh, he really likes you”, Lolly said and smirked. “That's cute. Maybe it's because you're both – ”

“What kind of party are we going to, exactly?”, Seki interrupted him. He wasn't keen on smalltalk now. He wanted to know.

Lolly sighed. “Take it easy, will you?”

“I will _not_ take it easy, I'm a fucking captive in a cathouse.”

“And you like it.”

Seki growled. “Just tell me.”

“Alright, alright.” Lolly gestured him to keep going. “Look, cutie, the Hive is the biggest brothel in Dawnhaven. And Dawnhaven is, like, really big on parties. So what do we do? We host sex parties.”

Seki shuddered. “I don't like that idea.”

“Our clients do”, Lolly replied. “Seriously, it brings in lots of cash. And it's pretty fun.”

Seki didn't answer. He had no intentions whatsoever to attend a sex party. The night before had been enough embarrassment and humiliation, and even though he had to admit he had enjoyed it, he really didn't like the thought of being exposed to a crowd of strangers, let alone being involved in any sexual activity with them. How could that possibly be fun?

“You don't need to be scared”, Lolly said.

“I'm not scared”, Seki muttered.

“Then what's the issue?”

Seki growled again, but he had no answer. If it wasn't fear, then what caused his reluctance? What made him so uncomfortable? His pride was broken. There really wasn't much to lose anymore. And there was no point in fighting back. But still …

“Over here!”

Snow waved from a table when the two foxes entered the canteen. In front of him were two large bowls with cornflakes, as well as two spoons. Seki and Lolly crossed the room, which was relatively full, and all eyes were on them for a moment. Seki flinched and lowered his head.

“Morning, everyone”, Lolly said cheerfully and shoved Seki ahead, as he was involuntarily slowing down. “C'mon, they're not gonna eat you”, the fox added more quietly.

“Seki, I poured you a little more because, you know, I thought you're probably really hungry”, Snow called, and his tail wagged a bit. “But if you don't want all of it, that's fine too!”

“Thanks, Snow”, Seki answered, and he sat down at the table. “I definitely _am_ hungry.”

Snow smiled at him happily and started to spoon his own cornflakes.

“Well, aren't you two just the cutest”, Lolly chuckled and sat down as well. Seki gave him a nasty look, but remained silent and began to eat, too.

“Ayy, Lolly!”, someone called from the entrance door. Seki glanced at the gray and white sergal approaching their table. His streamlined face looked just as feisty as Lolly's.

“Yo, Lance”, the fox answered enthusiastically. “How've you been?”

“Can't complain, but _damn_ , I missed my girl. Is she up already? Or at work?”

“Ah, definitely not at work”, Lolly said. “Strawberry week.”

Lance grinned, and his countless fangs glistened. “Nice.”

Seki retched.

“Hold it right there, shark boy”, Lolly called, seemingly a bit disgusted as well. “People are trying to eat here.”

“You touchy canines”, Lance joked, looking at Seki. “I thought the Hive was used to unconventional stuff.”

“Cut him some slack, he's new.” Seki felt Lolly put his arm around his shoulders again, as if to protect him. He kept staring down at his cornflakes bowl.

“Whatever, I'mma check up on her. See you around.” Lance and Lolly had a handshake, then, the sergal left.

“You gotta excuse that guy”, Lolly said towards Seki. “He's always like that.”

“Uh-huh.”

 

Once Snow and Seki had finished their meal, Lolly raised his voice.

“Alright, guys and gals, I know you're all thinking it, who's this cute fox right there? Well, I must say, I'm disappointed, you should all know my name by now.”

A mixture of chuckles and groans sounded through the room, and Seki couldn't decide on how to react, either. So he just shook his head. Snow tried to hit Lolly with his spoon.

“Sorry! Sorry.” Lolly raised his hand for an appeasing gesture. “Anyway, from today on, the Hive has a new member, and I'm counting on you to help make his time here as pleasant as possible.”

Seki rolled his eyes.

_Pleasant. Right._

“Didn't he call the boss a street dog?”, a jackal lady tossed in. Murmurs filled the room. Seki turned back his ears and hunched his shoulders.

“Well, um, not exactly”, Lolly replied. “Let's say it was a little misunderstanding. But we've resolved that, if you know what I mean.”

“Misunderstanding, my ass”, Seki uttered under his breath. What was Lolly trying to pull off? Protect him? Seki was slightly offended, but then he remembered that this wasn't Woodhill, and things were different here. And then he remembered Nero. So maybe, just maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to let Lolly pull the strings for now. He knew how things worked. Although Seki hated being dependent on someone, and he still had no idea whether he could trust Lolly or not.

“Let him who is without sin cast the first stone”, Lolly quoted solemnly. “We've all done a bad thing or two in our lives.”

Nods and murmurs of agreement followed. Seki felt like leaving, but he couldn't. It was as if those eyes resting on him were pinning him to the spot. He had to endure it somehow.

“Well, he is in good hands”, the jackal admitted. “I'm sure you'll teach him some manners.”

“Already have”, Lolly answered with a smirk. Seki blushed, he just wanted to disappear. The tension was smothering him. This place stirred so many feelings inside him that he couldn't even define. And he came to realize that he had been wrong – he _was_ scared after all. Scared of losing control – or, even worse – never regaining it.

“And if you're not nice to him, I'll be very sad”, Snow spoke up eventually, as if he was noticing Seki's tension. “Seki is my friend now. And I want him to be happy.”

“There you have it”, Lolly added. “Don't make Snow sad.”

Again, quiet chuckles, but friendly ones.

“Well, that wraps things up”, Lolly said and got up from his chair. “Speaking of wraps, we're gonna have a Mexican buffet tonight, and I'm sure there will be leftovers again, so stop by before it ends up in the trash.” He nodded at Seki. “Come on, we're going.”

Seki hesitantly stood up, as well as Snow, who picked up the bowls. “I'll take care of these. See you later!”

“Later, little rascal”, Lolly said and pulled Seki out of the canteen.

“What the hell made you think I'd be fine with a whole room of people staring at me?”, Seki growled as they walked back to the dorms.

“You're gonna be in a room with people staring at you later too, and most likely you're gonna be at least half naked at some point”, Lolly answered with a grin. “So regard it as preparation.”

“Wha– No, like, seriously, _no_. I'm not doing this!” Seki stopped in his tracks. “I just can't. I'm not like you.” He said those last words a little more condescendingly than intended.

“Well, too bad.” Lolly turned at him. “Because this is nothing I thought of. You have no choice.”

The speed at which Lolly's facial expression had switched from cheeky and bold to serious and almost sad concerned Seki a little. It was enough for him to not talk back any more. He sighed deeply. Of course he had no choice. His freedom had been stripped away the moment Nero's gang had captured him.

“Trust me, Seki”, Lolly said. “You don't want to mess with him again.”

Silence. Seki stared to the ground, unfamiliar emotions were clashing inside of him. He felt so uneasy. Against his own will, he forced his thoughts to go back to the night before, to reflect on the time he spent with Lolly and that amazing feeling. It hadn't been just in his head. On the contrary.

“You're right”, he replied. “I don't.”

After another deep sigh, he asked, “Then what do I have to do?”

The usual, sassy expression slowly returned to Lolly's face. He looked almost relieved, although Seki was sure he was just imagining that.

“For now”, the fox said with a smirk, “we'll find you something nice to wear.”

Seki shrugged. “Fine.”

Lolly led him to another elevator, and they used it to reach the first floor. Aside from a large-scale foyer, most of this floor was meant for storage. Longingly, Seki gazed at the entrance door across the lobby. His fur bristled when he felt Lolly's firm grip at the back of his neck.

“Don't even think about it.”

Seki yelped and resignedly followed Lolly through another labyrinth of corridors, until they reached their destination. Lolly sized him up for a moment, before nodding reassured and unlocking a door. Behind it was a large room lined with shelves, apparently a clothing stock. Seki looked around with perked ears, while Lolly was already starting to dig through a shelf.

“This is giving me a bit of a déjà vu”, the fox said and giggled.

“Shut up”, Seki hissed. “You're not making me wear anything awkward, are you?”

“Not at all.” Lolly tossed him a couple of his findings.

After a quick look, Seki threw them back at the fox. “Dude, I'm a _guy_.”

Lolly chuckled. “Not tonight.”

 


	8. Exposure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party is about to start, and Lolly takes care of Seki's attire. Though first reluctant, the fennec has to accept his new life as a Hive member - whether he likes it or not.

It was late. Seki was sitting on his bed, anxiously glancing at the clock on his nightstand every few minutes. Less than an hour left until the party, and his nervousness spiked each time he thought about it. All attempts to calm himself down had failed so far, and the fact that he was alone only added to his tension. His stomach convulsed from time to time.

Lolly had left him earlier, as he had to work. He had promised to be back in time, but Seki wasn't sure whether that should reassure him or make him even more nervous. Because he knew Lolly was looking forward to that event. He loved his work. He loved to please. And he loved the taste of submission. Seki didn't. At least he was still hanging onto to that belief. It was a bitter taste. Hard to swallow.

He looked at the small pile of clothes Lolly had left on the bed. Despite Seki's protest, Lolly had still insisted on him wearing them. And while Seki knew he would already have a hard time getting into those clothes at all, without embarrassing the hell out of himself, and without anyone else nearby, just imagining how he would be tossed into a room of Hive clients made him sick. Lolly had pointed out Seki's androgyny, which was exactly why he had picked feminine clothes, but it hadn't felt like a compliment at all, just like another degrading comment of objectification.

Seki hesitantly took a closer look at the clothing pile, and pulled out a black leather collar with a silver bell, which jingled quietly. The fennec fox screwed up his face, but kept on examining Lolly's findings. The clothes were all black, and the fabric was of good quality, as far as Seki could judge that. Apparently, Lolly had picked up two of each item, just in different sizes, unsure which would fit better. Seki wasn't even sure whether they would fit at all.

He startled when the door flew open, and Lolly entered spiritedly.

“I'm not wearing _any_ of this”, Seki growled in his direction immediately, before the fox could say anything. “This is just obnoxious.”

Lolly, first a little blindsided, cracked a smile. “Oh, you're already getting dressed.”

“I'm not”, Seki replied annoyed.

“Come on, sweetie, you're gonna make such a cute little bitch.”

Seki gasped quietly, as Lolly's words and the way he said them shortly cast him back to the night before. He blushed a little, and clenched his teeth. Lolly walked over to him, almost prancing, he seemed to be in an awfully good mood.

“If not for them, do it for me, will you?” The fox had lowered his voice down to a seductive whisper, and Seki shivered. From one moment to the other, he was completely paralyzed again, and he couldn't do anything but let Lolly nibble at his ear and the side of his neck, then put the collar around him and slowly pull the loose end through the buckle. Seki felt it tighten around his throat, and he swallowed.

“Is that alright?”

Seki nodded slightly.

“Alright, newbie, time for the next lesson”, Lolly said. “If someone asks you a question, you want to address them with the right pronoun. It's a matter of respect, and our boss puts great stress on respect, so you better make it a habit right away. Got it?”

Seki timidly looked at the fox. “Yeah …”

A sudden yank at his collar tore him backwards onto the bed, and he cried out, struggling against Lolly's grip. Lolly gave him a smug grin and sat down on Seki's stomach.

“ _Got it?_ ”, he repeated with a hint of impatience.

Seki gasped for breath. “Y-yes, sir”, he forced out.

“Good boy.” Lolly seemed satisfied. “You're a fast learner. Now, about your attire …”

The fox pushed up Seki's tank top, revealing his quivering chest.

“Let's get you out of this first.”

Seki didn't refuse, he couldn't. Lolly's presence had a terribly brain-numbing effect on him. He felt helpless again, but along with that, the heat was rushing back into his veins. Without thinking, he pulled his tank top over his head and dropped it next to him on the bed, then looked back up at Lolly with droopy ears. His heart was beating so loud he was sure that everyone at the Hive could hear it. Lolly smiled and let up on him, then picked up one of the two long-sleeved black bolero jackets from the bed and placed it on Seki's chest as if to check whether the size was correct.

“I think you're one for intermediate sizes, but a women's M should be fine.” He nodded. “Try it.”

'I wouldn't know', Seki thought as he sat up and looked at the little jacket. He wasn't familiar with feminine attire at all, neither with fashion in general.

Still a little reluctantly, he slipped into the bolero jacket, which basically only covered his arms, shoulders, sides, and upper back, and Lolly closed the little buckle below Seki's collar bones.

“I thought it might be a little tight around the shoulders, but _damn_ , that thing fits you to a T.”

Seki didn't respond, his heartbeat kept booming inside his head. He looked down at himself, he couldn't believe he was letting this fox dress him up like a hussy. More heat rushed to his face.

“Come on, let's try the rest.”

Lolly was obviously enjoying this little dress up session, and Seki hated him for it, just as much as he hated himself for playing along. But with the disdain came the heat. And the heat brought a disturbingly good feeling upon him.

Seki whimpered and stepped away when Lolly made a move to undress him further, his stomach was tingling, and he knew that the feeling in his pants wasn't lying to him. And there was no way he would grant Lolly that satisfaction, not while he himself wasn't even completely sure how this could be possibly turning him on in any way. But it was. Goddamn, it was.

“Oh, you wanna do it yourself?” Lolly stuck out his radiant blue tongue. “Sure.”

Seki hesitated. Undressing in front of Lolly wasn't a great option, either. The fennec was trembling, trying to keep his body from spiraling out of control, but he knew there was little to nothing he could do. The heat, the shame, it all merged together and made him feel so helpless, yet so good.

“I …” Seki whimpered again and fell to his knees in front of the fox, curling up in embarrassment.

“I'm really hard …”, he whispered towards the ground.

“You honestly can't wait huh?” Lolly snickered.

“Please …”, Seki sobbed. “I don't know what's happening … I'm just … This is too much …”

Lolly crouched down in front of Seki and patted his back.

“I told you. The sooner you accept it, the more fun you'll have.”

“This is so _sick_ ”, Seki uttered.

“It's only natural.” Lolly grabbed Seki under his arms and lifted him back up on the bed and put him into a straight position. “This is your life now. Why do you still fight it?”

Seki could only sob in response and let himself fall backwards on the bed. He didn't resist when Lolly unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down along with his underwear, leaving him exposed. He hadn't ever felt this vulnerable in his life. Yet he did nothing to change it. He tried his hardest to let go.

“This one's on me”, Lolly whispered, and Seki flinched when he felt Lolly's hot tongue at the tip of his throbbing cock. The fennec fox squirmed and moaned as Lolly began to suck on him, and the reluctance, the hate, the disdain, it was all washed away. His hands clenched at the bedsheets, and he arched his back while the waves of pleasure kept rolling in. Nothing mattered anymore. Nothing at all. He just wanted to feel good. And Lolly made him feel good, really good, in his own fucked up, questionable way, whenever he was around him.

It didn't even take a whole minute for Seki to be on the verge of orgasm, and he moaned loudly once he came right into Lolly's hot, awaiting mouth. Lolly licked the sensitive tip one more time and swallowed, then stood up and let Seki recover. The fennec was breathing heavily, and he felt a bit dizzy due to the quick yet strong orgasm, but the tension – the tension was gone.

“So”, Lolly said, like he had just scratched another thing from his To Do list, “will you be a good little bitch and get dressed for me now?”

Seki took a few deep breaths, then nodded. “Yes, sir.”

He sat up and glanced at the black ruffle skirt that Lolly had selected, as well as the black thigh-high stockings and the leather bracelets, which, and Seki was sure of that, were basically just fancy looking handcuffs.

“Am I … uh …” He questioningly looked at Lolly. “Not wearing anything underneath?”

Lolly tilted his head, winked, and gave him a smirk. “We want easy access, right?”

“Right …”

Seki stood up and grabbed the skirt, then slipped inside. Lolly helped him with his tail. The skirt was rather short, barely reaching Seki's knees, and wearing it was a very strange feeling, particularly with nothing beneath. The stockings added to the weirdness, but, even though Seki had somewhat expected it, Lolly didn't make use of his vulnerability this time. In fact, he was rather encouraging. And Seki realized that this wasn't something to turn him into a laughingstock. It was just what the clients were into. He would be sexually objectified – but he wouldn't be laughed at. And that realization was quite a breakthrough for himself.

“Oh _woof_ ”, Lolly chuckled and sized him up. “What a sexy, slutty little fox.”

“Whatever you say”, Seki replied while he was attaching the cuffs to his wrists. “You made me like this.”

“Nuh-uh, you've had it in you all along.” Lolly grabbed Seki's hips and pulled him close, then licked his cheek. “I only gave you a little incentive.”

Seki blushed when their eyes met, and he turned away.

“What's gonna happen to me …”, he asked into the room. He was starting to worry again.

“Now, now, don't rack your brain”, Lolly cooed and linked arms with Seki. “I'll introduce you to Aluna. She'll be with us. And trust me, she's a stunner.”

“Is that the jackal chick from earlier?”

“Oh, no, no, no. She's a cheetah. And she's dying to meet you”, Lolly replied.

Seki let Lolly pull him out of the room. They walked down the corridor, and towards the lounge, and Seki felt horribly naked in that revealing outfit, he had a hard time trying to relax.

“How come you haven't changed yet”, he asked contritely. “I thought we're both going.”

“We are, but the boss kinda wants you to take my place, so I won't be working”, Lolly answered casually.

His response alarmed Seki. “What do you mean by 'take your place'?”

“Oh look, there she is.” Lolly impudently evaded Seki's question, and pointed at a busty cheetah lady sitting in an armchair at the lounge. She was wearing a collar as well, with a short chain leash, and extremely short hot pants with a studded belt. Her upper body was completely bare, and the view made Seki forget he even asked anything.

“Aluna”, Lolly called. “Here he is.” He shoved dazzled Seki in the direction of the cheetah.

The feline looked at the two foxes, particularly at Seki, and smiled.

“A wonderful evening, isn't it?” She had a sweet, yet powerful voice, one that could break hearts in one moment and mend them in another. “So, you're Seki?”

Lolly slightly nudged the fennec with his elbow.

“Yes, ma'am”, Seki replied automatically.

Aluna giggled. “Pleased to meet you. I'm Aluna. I'm sure we'll have a good time tonight.” She winked, and Seki prayed that nobody would notice he was already hard again. This was insane.

“Well, let's pick up the others, shall we, babe?”

“Gwynn and Rick are already downstairs”, Lolly said. “Sky is the only one missing, but she's not in her room, so I guess she's still busy.”

“Sky?” Aluna raised her eyebrows for a surprised expression. “Oh my, it's unusual for her to attend those parties.”

Lolly shrugged. “Guess she needs some extra cash.” Then, while patting Seki's shoulder, he said, “Oh well, let's get going.”

Aluna nodded. The three of them crossed the lounge and made their way to the elevator, and Seki tried his best not to stare at Aluna, so he kept his eyes on the ground. With each step, his nervousness grew again, all those uncertainties started swirling about in his head, and the doubts were getting louder and louder.

Once the elevator doors closed, there was no turning back anymore.

 


	9. Down The Rabbit Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party is in full swing, and Seki is having a hard time trying to figure out whether he should be disturbed or turned on. Aluna helps him make up his mind.

The hustle and bustle of the clients was overwhelming when Seki, Lolly and Aluna reached the basement. Seki's eyes were wide open, his ears cocked, taking in the noise, the voices, murmurs and laughter, the heavy bass of the music, and the occasional clinking of glasses. The air was hot, with a lingering scent of alcohol, sweat, and pheromones. Dim light filled the souterrain, coming from colorful and psychedelic mushroom-shaped lamps that seemed to grow out of the walls, the floor was tiled black and white, like a chessboard. The vaulted ceiling was spangled with broken mirror fragments that scattered the reflection of whoever was walking below.

“Holy fuck …”, Seki whispered.

“Welcome to the Rabbit Hole”, he heard Lolly's voice close to his ear.

Aluna walked ahead, her delicate hands caressed a cheek or two, turning heads wherever she went. Her black-tipped cheetah tail twitched playfully. Seki and Lolly followed her down the hall and to what seemed to be the main location, quite similar to the lounge on the top floor, but with that psychedelic vibe – the glowing mushrooms illuminated this area as well, small white LED lights adorned the ceiling in between the mirror shards, like an artificial Milky Way. The pieces of furniture – black leather couches, armchairs, and bar tables – were all kept in the same design as if not to draw too much attention from the magnificence provided by the location itself.

The clients, most of them from the predator family, looked all well-heeled and even a little snobby, but all of them had the same kind of excitement on their face as they were having their whiskey, their fluorescing gin and tonic, or any other alcoholic drink provided by the bartender behind the counter. Seki gulped when he realized that the bartender was that freak of a hyena that had already catcalled him before.

He averted his gaze, and further looked around the lounge. Lolly had begun some flirty smalltalk with a feline client, and Aluna had already disappeared in the crowd. When he saw her again, she was making out with a skinny, slate blue tabby cat who had her wrists chained to a dancing pole, kneeling on a slightly elevated round area to the left side of the lounge. The tabby was half naked as well, just like Aluna, with nothing but some silky black panties covering her, and she leaned in to the cheetah's passionate kisses.

Seki felt the blood shoot to his head, and he was glad that the dim light would hide his blush, but he wasn't so sure whether it would hide his erection. He squirmed a little.

Calls and whistles were coming from the crowd around the pole, as if to spur on the two felines in heat, Seki caught a glance at the tabby's amber eyes, they were fiery and full of lust.

The fennec turned away and bumped into Lolly, who had apparently ended his conversation. Lolly didn't look at him first, but at the cats, and whistled.

“They're getting right into it, huh?” With a perverted grin, he nodded towards the blue tabby. “That's Gwynn, our pretty little Cheshire cat. Ain't she adorable?”

“Umm …” Seki looked at Gwynn, he was really uncomfortable despite his arousal, or, moreover, _because_ of his arousal, and he just nodded. “Yeah …”

“Come on, let's get some drinks”, Lolly said. “This heat is making me thirsty.”

He put his arm around Seki's waist firmly and dragged him over to the counter. Lolly was struggling slightly, he had no intentions to interact with the hyena.

“Yo, Chad!”, the fox yelled above the music, which was quite a bit louder at the bar. “Lemme have that B-52 shot, will ya.”

“You got it.” The hyena grinned at Seki and sized him up, his fangs flashed. “And for the lady?”

Seki bared his teeth and growled, but Lolly held him back by shortly tugging on his tail.

“He'll have a Singapore Sling.”

Chad snickered. “Coming up, pretty boy.”

Lolly let out a joyous sigh and turned around, facing the lounge again, his arm back around Seki's waist.

“This is gonna be one hell of a night.”

“You're right about the hell part”, Seki muttered, but his words were swallowed up by the music.

When the two foxes obtained their drinks, they mingled with the crowd again. The atmosphere was heating up rapidly. A white bunny, about Snow's size and age, caught Seki's eye – he was sitting in the lap of a bulky black panther on one of the leather couches, surrounded by a couple of other clients, flirting and bantering with them, and occasionally rubbing his butt against the panther's crotch. He had red eyes and a cute, pink little nose, his outfit reminded of Snow as well. Black and white striped knee highs, along with matching pulse warmers and a black, sleeveless hoodie that was long enough to cover his private parts.

It didn't take long until the black feline predator's pants came off, and innocent whimpers escaped the bunny when the panther forced his cock inside him and nibbled on his long, fluffy ears. Cheers came from the other clients and they raised their glasses as the panther fucked the tiny bunny in his lap nice and hard.

Seki turned back his ears. “He's hurting him.”

“Huh?” Lolly followed Seki's looks. “Oh, that's Rick. Don't worry about him, he's a good actor.” He smirked. “Gotta love bunnies.”

Seki sighed quietly, the shammed pain and fear on Rick's childlike face was unsettling him, just as well as the dirty laughter of the ones surrounding him. This place – it was gruesome to the core.

Lolly clinked glasses with Seki. “Chug.”

Contentedly, he poured the shot down his throat, and Seki watched him with disgust. However, getting drunk was probably the only way to survive this night somehow, so he downed half of his drink as well, and to his own surprise, it tasted rather good. The sweet cherry flavor tamed the sharpness of the alcohol, yet left over just enough to make his tongue and throat tingle.

Lolly shoved him back to the dancing pole, where Aluna and Gwynn were still posing the main attraction. At this point, another client, a sturdy sergal, had approached the two felines and was now violently fucking Gwynn's mouth while keeping her head in place with his big, strong claws. Aluna was beside her, and she slid her hand between the tabby's legs. Gwynn quivered when the cheetah lady began to rub her gently, and she tugged at her shackles.

Seki squirmed again, the sight turned him on way too much. He noticed Lolly staring at his crotch, then wink at him, and Seki could just stare back helplessly.

The sergal pulled out quickly, and in the next moment, cum spattered the tabby's pretty face. She opened her mouth for a gasp, then licked her lips, and her amber eyes blinked at the sergal, who readjusted his pants and disappeared in the crowd. Aluna licked the cum off Gwynn's face like it was the fanciest dessert she'd ever had, while her fingers kept teasing the tabby's most sensitive spot. Gwynn moaned and closed her eyes, obediently spreading her legs a bit more, and only little later, her toes curled and she threw back her head, cries of pleasure escaping her throat. Her body shook as she came, resulting in more cheers from the bystanders, a phone camera flashed a couple of times.

“Ohh, she's good.” Lolly was viewing the cheetah with a dark smile. “You might want to drink up, cutie pie.”

And Seki did. He had no idea what was going to happen, and he didn't want to know, he was just hoping the alcohol would make it bearable. Because Lolly's smile was indicating that he had an idea. And Seki was still far from being drunk.

He chugged down the rest of his drink, not noticing the way Lolly was exchanging suggesting looks with Aluna, not noticing how he nodded slightly in Seki's direction.

Gwynn was freed from her shackles and immediately dragged away by two canine clients as if she was a piece of meat and they hadn't eaten in days. Lolly took Seki's glass and the fennec was harshly thrust forward.

“Your turn, newbie.”

Seki startled and turned around, desperately staring at Lolly, who just gave him a smug grin, he could feel everyone's looks on him and they pierced him like bullets. His pulse was racing. Before he could even think about bolting, he felt a hand running down his right hip, and he turned his head to see that Aluna had approached him with an encouraging smile.

“Let's have a good time, yes, babe?”, she purred as she slowly circled around him. “Just you and me.” She ran her hand over his trembling chest and applied slight pressure, which caused Seki to step back hesitantly. He couldn't take his eyes off hers, they were his only guidance now. So deep and dark. Gentle, yet demanding. They were riveted on him as he kept evading the pressure of her hand on his chest, step by step, until – –

Suddenly, Seki lost his balance. He had reached the elevated platform with the pole, and his last step hit the obstacle. The fennec fox stumbled and felt a strong impact as he fell flat on his back. He tried to scramble back to his feet, but Aluna had already crawled on top of him, her hypnotizing eyes kept him from moving. Panic was lingering in his own gaze.

“Aluna …”, he uttered. “What are you doing …?”

“Sshhh.” She laid her finger on his chops. Seki felt her grinding against him, and he gasped quietly.

“Be a good boy, like Lolly told you.”

The fennec was petrified, and he was starting to get dizzy. Whether it was the quickly downed drink, the stagnant air, or the arousal caused by Aluna grinding against his hard cock, he couldn't tell. He didn't know anything anymore.

Aluna pinned his hands down over his head, and when she let go again, Seki realized that she had chained him to the pole as well. He uttered a few noises of frustration and tried to pull his hands away, but with no success. Another camera flash blinded him for a moment.

“Aluna, I – ”

A strong slap across the face shut him up. He cried out and looked at the cheetah, devotedly and scared. He hadn't expected this reaction.

“Shush, now”, she said strictly.

Seki tensed up, the calls and laughter of the crowd reached his ears, although they sounded like they were very, very far away. The cheetah rose to her feet and slowly unbuckled her studded belt, then undid her hotpants and slid out of them. Seki could see Lolly in the corner of his eye, watching eagerly, with a new drink in his hand.

_Oh god, please help me._

Aluna rid herself of her underwear as well, and Seki stared at her perfect feline body, full of fear, yet full of longing. His surroundings seemed to fade with every second he gazed upon the alluring cheetah lady. And her eyes told him that she knew.

She removed the chain leash from her collar and crawled onto Seki again, slowly, like she was preying on him, and she pushed up the black ruffle skirt to expose him completely. Time seemed to freeze when she grabbed his cock and he felt her rough, pierced cat tongue lick across it. Seki whimpered. He heard Lolly's voice pierce the noise level of the crowd.

“Ride him, baby!”

Aluna smirked, and she flipped back her tousled hair as she sat up again. Loud calls of agreement followed. Seki felt like someone had just unplugged his brain when the cheetah lady sat down on his cock, the tight, hot, wet inside of her pussy was a completely new sensation for the fennec, and he couldn't help but push up his hips when she began to move hers. His moans mixed with the cheers of the clients, spurring on the cheetah while she was riding him slow, but hard, playing with her breasts to please the greedy eyes of the ones watching.

Seki's moans grew louder when she picked up the pace, he gasped and writhed and rocked his hips against her, the hot juices from her tight, wet pussy were soaking his crotch already. He felt like he was about to lose his mind.

This felt good. So damn good. Even under the eyes of those avid voyeurs with their voracious appetite for perversion, he felt no shame. He gave in to the pleasure, this incredible feeling that made him so light-headed, the fear died out, and he let Aluna show him a good time – just like she had promised.

 

 


	10. Grin And Bear It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lolly shows Seki to the restroom and then returns to the bar for a couple more drinks. What he doesn't know is that he shouldn't have left the fennec fox alone ...

Lolly watched the events unfold with great satisfaction. He downed another shot while keeping an eye on Aluna and the shaking fennec, and it was obvious that this was Seki's first time with a female. All the better. Aluna was known for her enticing ways, and even more for her sexual skills. She was one of the most desired Hive workers, along with Lolly and Rick, and she was just the right one to deal with Seki.

“Well, how do things stand?”

Lolly startled a bit when he heard that deep, dark voice behind him. He turned around and looked up at his boss, who, judging by his clothing and the glass of gin in his hand, hadn't just come to the souterrain to check up on the situation. His stern, red eyes were following the scene at the dancing pole. Lolly nodded confidently, his alcohol level was high enough by now to be a little less tense around Nero.

“Looking good. He does what he's told.” Lolly grinned. “A good little bitch.”

Nero didn't reply at first, which made the fox slightly uneasy. His boss took a sip from his gin, still watching in silence, then nodded.

“Good.” He turned away, and patted Lolly's back. “Good work.”

He disappeared in the crowd, and Lolly exhaled the breath he had been holding without noticing it. This was the first time he had heard something genuinely friendly from Nero. He didn't quite know how to handle it, as he was used to constant criticism and degradation, but it was nonetheless a good feeling. In high spirits, he ordered another drink, then went back to the scene, just in time to catch a glimpse at Seki's face when he came, all tensed up in one moment, and then fully relaxed. It almost bugged Lolly to leave all the fun to Aluna. But orders were orders, and he was still enjoying himself excellently.

The fox made his way through the exultant crowd and towards his two breathless colleagues. He laid his hand on Aluna's shoulder and kissed her cheek gently.

“You go wash up, babe”, he cooed into her ear. “I'll take care of the puppy.”

“Don't spoil him too much”, the cheetah answered with a wink, and she stood up, leaving exhausted Seki on his back with his crotch denuded. She picked up the little bit of her clothes and sauntered off, her tail held high, and unlike Gwynn, nobody dared to touch her. She had that dangerous, feral vibe. And she was only tame if she wanted to.

Lolly looked upon Seki and pulled out his phone for a quick snap, then stepped up on the platform and poured his drink on the fennec's face. Seki flinched and coughed.

“You still with me, or did she fuck you into the next dimension?”, Lolly asked sarcastically.

“Ugh …”

The fox laughed and removed the chain from Seki's cuffs. The fennec sat up, pulled the skirt down again and wiped Lolly's cocktail off his face.

“What was that for?”

Lolly shrugged. “You looked like you had to cool down.”

Seki reclined his head and closed his eyes for a moment. “I hate you.”

“Aww, don't get all romantic now.” Lolly grabbed Seki's arm and pulled him to his feet. The crowd scattered slowly, but surely, searching for another feast for the eyes. The fennec shook his hair, and the bell at his collar jingled.

“That was your first time, wasn't it?” Lolly grinned at Seki.

The fennec fox shrugged like an indifferent pubescent. “So?”

“How was it?”

Seki groaned. “What do you wanna hear, pervert?”

Lolly couldn't stop grinning. “That it made you so, so glad you ended up listening to me and accepted that slutty side of yours?”

“Ugh … Can I just wash up somewhere?”

Lolly chuckled. “Sure.”

He led Seki to the restroom for employees, and he was still amused by the fennec's emotional struggle. There was no way he would openly accept he was enjoying himself. Yet it was so obvious.

“I'mma go back to the bar”, Lolly said and slapped Seki's ass. “Don't make me wait too looong!~”

 

»»««

 

Seki was alone in the restroom, and he turned on the tap of one of the marble sinks to splash some water on his face. He was hot, and the sugary concoction that Lolly had poured on him was starting to make his facial fur sticky. The cold water felt good, and Seki cupped his hands and greedily gulped down some of it, as his throat had gotten dry. Once his thirst was quenched and his face not dripping with cocktail anymore, he looked up in the mirror, which was framed with gold leaf. For the first time, he could actually take a look at himself, and even though he didn't like it, he had to admit that those clothes _did_ suit him well. He hadn't ever been much of a masculine fox, but that hadn't mattered, as long as he had been able to rely on his physical strength and, later on, on his reputation. And now he was here, at Dawnhaven's hottest brothel, for the pure entertainment of rich strangers.

He stared down at the sink, still blown away from that dynamite of a cheetah, and a mixture of sobbing and chuckling left his chops.

“One hell of a night, huh …”, he murmured quietly.

He shook his head and turned back to the door, in order to not make Lolly wait and give him the opportunity to ask stupid questions again. But he didn't get to leave. Not for a while.

The door was pushed open forcefully, and Chad entered, with a dangerous grin on his face, like he had been waiting for the moment Seki would be alone. He was followed by a dingo, the same one that had helped capture Seki, with the same crazy expression.

Seki startled and stepped back instinctively.

“Well, who do we have here?”, the hyena snickered, slamming the door shut again. “A cute fennec bitch, all alone.”

Seki felt his own breathing go faster. He lowered his tail.

“What do you want?”

“I want you on your knees”, Chad replied condescendingly.

Seki suppressed a gasp. This was bad. He knew he wouldn't make it to the door. The two canines were blocking the way, cutting him off. He had to comply.

Slowly, without taking his eyes off Chad, Seki lowered himself to the ground. Once he was on his knees, he broke eye contact and looked away, because he couldn't stand that gloating grin.

“Already learned _some_ manners, I see”, the dingo laughed.

Seki's ears were pinned to the back of his head. There it was again. Fear.

“Let's see what else he's learned so far.” Chad unbuttoned his pants and tightly grabbed Seki's hair, and the fennec winced and intuitively opened his mouth a bit, too scared to resist. But instead of sexual satisfaction, Chad was out for a different kind of relief. Seki almost retched when he tasted that salty, warm liquid pouring down on his tongue and flowing to the back of his mouth. He wanted to spit it out, but Chad's claws firmly gripped his snout and kept his jaws shut.

“You're going to swallow that, bitch.”

Seki whined, tears shot to his eyes. With disgust, he swallowed the hyena's piss, and then swallowed again a couple of times to get rid of the awful taste, trying to suppress the urge to vomit.

“That's the taste of defeat”, Chad whispered, his face was dangerously close to Seki's. His massive white fangs glistened each time he grinned at the fennec. “Now what do we say?”

Seki's blood was boiling with fear and anger. He wished hell upon that hyena.

“Thank you, sir.” Seki's voice was low and toneless, almost monotonous.

Both Chad and the dingo laughed.

“Oh man, what happened to that big mouth of yours?”, the hyena chuckled. “Look at you, taking orders and drinking piss.”

Seki glared at Chad hatefully, but he didn't answer. He kept it all down. He had to …

“Well, while we're already at it”, Chad said and gestured Seki to turn around. “Lemme see that pretty little ass of yours, haven't fucked a fox in ages.”

Seki hesitated.

“ _Now_.”

Chad's voice was loud and harsh. Seki flinched and put his hands on the floor as well, then shifted and turned until Chad had a good view of his backside. The hyena flipped the skirt back, and Seki closed his eyes tightly.

“Good enough, eh?” The dingo laughed again.

Seki cried out loudly when he felt Chad enter him with a single thrust. His body cramped, yet he tried to suppress his cries, he didn't want them to hear it, he didn't want to be _weak_. Chad's thrusts hurt, they were strong and relentless, his claws were holding Seki's hips in place.

“Suit yourself”, the hyena growled cheekily, apparently addressing the dingo, and footsteps approached Seki's head. Moments later, his jaws were grabbed by the canine, forced open, and the dingo shoved his cock into the fennec's mouth. Seki tried to yelp, but barely any sound would come out. Chad was rutting him without remorse, and the dingo began to fuck his throat, not any less forceful. Seki gagged and sobbed, tears streamed down his face, his claws were scratching over the tiles on the floor. He was praying that Lolly would come to check up on him, to save him from this hell, this hell that had been close to paradise just a few minutes ago.

But Lolly didn't come.

He was alone with two canines that only had one thing in mind – to make him pay. And he knew that not a thousand apologies would keep them from using his body as they pleased. He was at their mercy.

“Rghh, fuck”, Chad growled and thrust deeply into Seki one last time, releasing hot cum into his insides. Seki barely noticed, as the dingo's cock down his throat made him struggle for each breath. Once his canine abuser climaxed inside his mouth, Seki immediately swallowed. The dingo slowly pulled out his cock with a satisfied sigh, and mockingly grinned at the fennec.

“What a good slut you're making.”

Seki remained silent. The hyena eventually pulled out as well, snickering, and Seki knew they both were relishing the sight. He let his head hang low, he didn't dare to change his position, so he just stayed on the ground, on all fours.

“You know, I really like you when you're on the floor”, Chad sneered. “Left a good first impression as well.”

“And it's where you belong”, the dingo added, effortlessly kicking Seki's face to the ground. Seki groaned when his head hit the tiles. Once again, hot fluid poured down on him, it ran over his temples and his cheeks and dripped down. Seki endured it and patiently waited until the dingo was done.

“I hope we'll get to play again soon”, Chad cooed with an exaggerated, sweet voice.

Him and the dingo broke out into loud laughter again, they left Seki on the floor and exited the restroom, and Seki could still hear them once the door had fallen shut. It wasn't until then that he slowly braced himself up again, piss dripping from his face, forming small puddles on the tiles. He retched, and struggled to his feet, then turned on the water again.

Stomach contents gushed up his gullet and made him vomit into the sink. He was shaking, mostly from anger. A part of him wanted to smash the mirror above the sink into a thousand pieces. But he didn't. He held back.

Seki washed his face again, thoroughly, and after a short glance at his own reflection, he left the restroom. The bass of the music reached his ears again when he opened the door, and the humid, hot air had gotten even more stagnant. When he made his way back to the bar, a grayish-white furred stoat girl with bright blue hair walked past him. She was dressed a little less revealing than Aluna and Gwynn, however, Seki could see that she was a Hive worker as well. Their eyes met shortly.

“Hey, cutie pie!”, Lolly yelled across the bar area. His voice was a little slurred by now. Obviously, he hadn't left it at a few shots. “What took you so long?”

Seki walked over to him and took a seat, then shortly glanced at Chad, who was busy handing out drinks again.

“Nothing.”

 

 


	11. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seki wakes up in the morning with a little bit of a blackout. He runs into Sky, the stoat girl from the night before, and he's in for quite a surprise ...

A sleepy silence reigned the top floor. Seki had taken a long, hot shower and was now on his way to the canteen to get some food while the rest of his newly obtained colleagues was still in bed. He was horribly tired, and exhausted from the night before, yet he had woken up early, unable to fall asleep again. Nightmares had haunted him for hours, and the dreamless part of his slumber had been light and restless. Even though he couldn't remember the second half of the party anymore due to Lolly making him take one shot after another, that devilish laughter of Chad and his sidekick was etched deep in his memory. And it wasn't something he would forget.

The canteen was empty, and Seki decided to seize the opportunity to explore the fridge and the shelves. Breakfast wasn't served, unlike lunch and dinner, so it seemed like everyone had to take care of their own provisions. Seki wasn't exactly hungry, but he knew it was better to eat something nonetheless. So he picked a slice of toast, spread some butter on it, and grabbed a cup from the shelf. While waiting for the water in the kettle to boil, he rummaged through the surprisingly large selection of tea and coffee in one of the drawers. He went for a cup of Indian Chai, the only kind of tea he genuinely liked, and munched on his toast while letting the tea steep.

Looking around the canteen, he first fully realized that the brightness didn't come from lamps, but from the windows, large and hexagonal and arranged in a zigzag pattern with a few inches in between. The sun was rising above Dawnhaven, painting the clouds pink and orange, brightly outlining the tall buildings. Seki approached one of the windows and looked outside, the city below him, and he was filled with wonder. The streets, the skyscrapers, the ocean, everything had that golden shimmer to it, caused by the rays of the rising sun. And everything seemed so small.

Even though it was quite early, the sun rays already spread a pleasant warmth, embracing Seki with frail wings. He enjoyed the feeling on his fur. But all the more, he longed for the outside.

The fennec fox let out a deep sigh and disposed of the tea bag, then finished his toast and left the canteen. Had last night been enough to be granted more freedom?

He walked down the corridor, but he wasn't keen on going back to his room, so he walked further, with his thoughts wandering off, until he reached the lounge. It was quiet here, too, but when he looked across the room, he saw Rick and Snow sleeping in one of the armchairs, all huddled up. He smiled and took a seat, watching the two white-furred youths, so peaceful, so calm. Snow had his head leaned against Rick's shoulder, he was lying halfway across the bunny, all relaxed, and if it hadn't been for the different species, they could have been twins.

Seki took a sip from his tea and enjoyed this tranquil moment, which let him forget his sorrows for a while. The tea was nice and hot and warmed his hands, and he closed his tired eyes for a bit.

A couple of silent minutes passed. The sleepiness was still weighing down heavily on Seki, and he was surprised he wasn't that hungover, but then again, he was used to drinking, and his body responded merely with a slight headache. What bugged him more was the mental blank.

“So, you're the new one after all”, he heard a quiet voice from the entrance of the lounge.

Seki turned around and looked at the owner of the voice, a stoat girl, about his age, with bilious green eyes and bright blue, almost turquoise hair. She had cute, round ears and silky gray fur with white speckles. A pale pink nightshirt was covering her petite frame. Seki recognized her – he had seen her the night before.

“Sky?”, he assumed. Lolly and Aluna had both mentioned her, yet there hadn't been any introduction.

She nodded deliberately. “That would be me. And you are …?”

“Seki.”

She gave him a short smile that made her whiskers quiver. “Nice to meet you.” After a moment, she added, “I see Lolly has already exploited you to the max.”

It wasn't a condescending remark, there was no mockery in her voice. She sounded like she actually knew what Seki had been through, and like she felt for him.

“You mean that party?”, Seki murmured and drank some more of his tea. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

The stoat nodded in the direction of the dormitory corridor, signaling Seki to follow her so they could continue their conversation without waking Rick and Snow. Seki followed her curiously.

“I hope he's not giving you too much of a hard time”, Sky said.

Seki huffed. “Yeah … well …”

_Depends on how you define that._

He shook his head. “He's not exactly the one giving me a hard time.”

“Oh?” She looked at him with her green eyes when they stopped in front of one of the doors, probably her own room.

“Never mind.” Seki took another sip from his tea. “That your room?”

“Yes.” She nodded and opened the door, welcoming him in.

Seki entered and his eyes widened. The room was bright, with a bed in the upper right corner, fairy lights attached to the wall above it, and a large desk in front of the window opposite to the door. Scraps of paper in all kinds of colors were scattered across the desk, as well as a few scalpels, rulers, and other crafting tools he wasn't quite familiar with.

A reflex camera was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed, several photographs were attached to the wardrobe on the right hand side, as well as countless of colorful Origami butterflies. White paper cranes, attached to nylon threads, were hanging from the ceiling above the bed. Complex looking Origami flowers seemed to bloom all around the window frame.

The fennec fox was astonished.

“Did … did you make all that?”, he asked, he felt a bit stupid for asking.

“Yup.” Sky slumped down on her bed.

“That's amazing”, Seki admitted. “Why aren't you … you know, a – ”

“A professional artist?” She gave him a sad smile. “I might be one day. Once I've saved up enough. Then I could get out of here and live off my crafts. But until then …” She made an indifferent gesture. “Until then I'll just stay.”

Seki was confused. He looked around the room, at Sky's creations, at her desk, her camera, her photographs, and finally back at her.

“You don't like it here?” He left out the 'either'.

Sky stretched out on her bed, one of her ears twitched. “Oh, I do.” She smirked. “The payment is great … And the clients are so easy to please. But, you know …” She rolled on her stomach and looked at Seki, her short tail slowly wagging from one side to the other. “Sex is art. And not everyone has an understanding for art. Dawnhaven is permanently stuck in an eternal rush hour … everyone just wants quick satisfaction. I'm more the sophisticated type.”

Seki tilted his head. “Sophisticated?”

“Yes”, she sighed. “You have to use all of your senses – not just your eyes. Not just your skin. Pleasure has a taste, fear has a smell, and yearning has a very, very distinct sound.” She spread her arms as if to apologize. “But who wants to know about these things if you can jerk off during a lap dance?”

Seki quickly glanced back at the photographs. Most of them were abstract shots of buildings, roads, and streetlamps, yet with an interesting lighting and angle each, but some actually were of people, still somewhat abstract, yet the nude bodies gave the photos a certain vividness, provoking curiosity. He understood what she meant.

“The world is moving faster every day”, he murmured. “That's just how it is.”

She smiled again, her green eyes glistened. “You're interesting.”

“Huh?”

She patted the empty spot next to her. “Come on, you don't need to stand there the whole time.”

Seki hesitated shortly, then walked over to place his cup on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed, beside the stoat. Sky was sizing him up with the eyes of an analyst. Something dangerous was lingering in her gaze, something that reminded Seki of Aluna.

“You're not as dumbed down as the rest”, she whispered. “You have a vivid mind. I can see it.”

“P-possibly …?”, Seki replied, slightly blindsided, and he held his breath when the stoat girl straightened herself to remove her nightshirt. She let it sink to the floor, and gently rubbed her head against Seki's, her exposed body close to his own. Seki leaned in, he deeply inhaled her sweet scent, still somewhat nervous.

“I haven't felt this way towards anyone at this place before”, she purred into his ear. “You seem so troubled. But you're trying to hide it. What's going on inside that head?”

She nibbled at his neck, and Seki flinched.

“Not much at the moment …”, he had to admit, Sky was wiping out his entire mind. She kept rubbing herself against him, her fur slightly bristled, and Seki realized that she was aroused. Very aroused.

“This place is so dull”, Sky sighed. “You're a nice change.”

Seki wasn't sure what she wanted, but there was something magnificent about that stoat girl, and he had the urge to please her. It wasn't like she was actively seducing him … rather it was _him_ who was making her hot. And he didn't even know why. Was he that special? Or was she all talk?

He gasped quietly when Sky slid into his lap, her bare back facing him, and her toned legs spread over his own. Seki noticed that she was trembling slightly. Was she scared? Or just excited?

“Life can get very lonely”, she said in a low voice, and reached up to caress one of Seki's big ears. “If there's no one to give yourself to.”

It wasn't until now that Seki understood. Loneliness.

Sky was lonely. Longing for love and intimacy – not exactly things provided by Hive clients. But then why was she so obsessed with him? Seki couldn't help but think he was just in the right place at the right time. He couldn't explain to himself why Sky would want this from him. They barely knew each other. But Sky didn't seem to care.

In fact, she seemed like she already knew him inside out.

“Touch me”, she whispered. “Please.”

Seki was petrified at first, but then he snapped out of his paralysis. Her faint voice, her sweet scent, and those cute, speckled whiskers … It was nothing he could reject.

He let his hands glide over her stomach, gently, and moved them further up, until he reached her small breasts. They were soft to the touch, only covered with a thin layer of fur, and Sky sighed again when he squeezed them gently. He couldn't see her face, as it was turned away from him, but he could see the bristled fur at the lower back of her neck. She was really enjoying this.

The stoat kept fondling his ear and the fur around it, her other hand slid down between her legs and shoved the panties aside. Seki kissed her right shoulder, still caressing her soft breasts, and he felt a strange kind of excitement inside him. It was different than with Aluna, or with Lolly – Sky was entrusting him with her body. It was him who was in charge. But his entire focus was on her.

He could feel her body heating up, her breathing went faster as she was rubbing her pussy, slick and wet, and a couple of silent moans went over her lips. Seki squeezed her breasts again, they felt so nice and warm and soft in his hands, and he noticed he was getting hard, but he didn't care. This was all about her.

Sky leaned against his chest, her hand was searching for one of his, and Seki let her lead his hand down towards her precious, sensitive spot.

“Please …”, she breathed.

Seki pushed his insecurities aside, there was no way he would refuse the offer to please that girl. He didn't care about his lacking experience. He just wanted to make her feel good.

Slowly, his fingertips wandered between her spread legs, he could feel the heat of her dripping wet pussy, and he began to rub her, causing her to moan again. During the motions, he tried to find the spot that effected in the most promising reactions, and it didn't take him long to find her clit, which he payed all the more attention to the more Sky panted and quivered. She made all kinds of adorable noises, writhing and squirming in his lap, and they encouraged Seki to go a bit faster, a bit harder. The stoat arched her back, gasping and moaning, like she couldn't get enough.

“Seki …”, she uttered. “You're gonna … make me cum …” Her voice got almost swallowed up by her moans, her breath went in waves. “Please … Don't stop …”

But Seki had no intentions to stop. He wanted her orgasm just as badly as she did. He wrapped his arm around her to hold her close, his fingertips rubbed rapidly over her sensitive clit, and Sky's moans grew louder as he pushed her closer and closer towards the climax.

“Mmh … Yes …” She reclined her head, every fiber in her body seemed to be strung to breaking point, Seki could feel her tension, he could almost _taste_ it. “I'm gonna …!”

Sky uttered a cry of pleasure, her body quivered, and her little tail curled. Seki felt her heart hammering against the back of her ribcage. His own heartbeat was far from calm as well, satisfaction was spreading inside him when he heard Sky's little gasps and cries, the aftershock of that powerful orgasm he had just gifted to her.

Sky let herself fall into his arms, she was panting heavily. Seki stroked a few strands of hair out of her face, he felt somewhat proud. The stoat's green eyes looked at him, they had lost their sadness.

“Thank you”, she whispered, and a faint smile lit up her face. “That was wonderful.”

 


	12. Papercut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seki learns about Sky's past - and it stirs emotions inside of him that he isn't familiar with.

Seki looked upon the stoat girl in his arms, her body was still hot. She had snuggled up against him, and Seki was gently petting her head. Sky's face was relaxed and her breathing was beginning to slow down again, she had closed her eyes and rubbed her head against Seki's palm from time to time. Seki himself felt calm now as well, despite this burning excitement from before and the lingering need for relief, but it wasn't like it was unbearable, he simply enjoyed the situation and he was glad that he had managed to make Sky feel good. He didn't really want to question her motives anymore. It didn't matter.

Sky sighed deeply, it was a joyous sigh. Her green eyes opened, and she stretched her legs, then sat up on the bed again. Seki watched her attentively, he couldn't get over how pretty she was. Her speckled whiskers, the soft fur, the cute ears – and those eyes. And then there was her amazing frame. He was almost a little sad when Sky reached for her nightshirt on the ground. Intuitively, he put his hand on her arm.

“Don't”, he said without thinking. “Keep it off.” When she gave him a questioning look, he added, “You're gorgeous.”

Sky glanced at her nightshirt, then looked back at him, there was a bit of suspicion, a bit of distrust in her eyes. Seki noticed that his heartbeat had gotten faster. He pulled the stoat back into his arms, carefully, and she allowed it.

“I'm sorry”, he said quietly. “I just can't help but look at you.”

She didn't answer, as if she was trying to figure out whether or not he was just toying with her. Seki knew he had to choose his words and actions with caution now. He didn't want to scare her. And at the same time, it made him a bit uncomfortable how fast the tables had turned around. A few minutes ago, Sky had been the one to scare him – at least a little. She was so unpredictable. And yet it was the unpredictability that intrigued him. He barely knew anything about Sky, but the way he felt about her made him believe in the existence of soul mates. They had only just met, but Seki knew he would to anything just to make her feel a little better.

Sky eventually relaxed again in his arms. She leaned her head against his chest, and Seki hoped that she could hear how fast his heart was beating. Just because of her.

They both remained silent – each of them absorbed by the moment. The sun was rising further, filling the room with warmth and light. The sun rays were reflected by the silver and golden ornaments imprinted on some of the paper sheets on the desk, casting spots and speckles of light on the walls. Seki looked up at the paper cranes above the bed.

“They say that if you manage to make a thousand paper cranes, your wish comes true.” Sky had looked up as well. “I've made a thousand and one.”

“What did you wish for …?”, Seki asked reverently.

Sky didn't answer. She lowered her head, and Seki began to pet her hair and the back of her neck again. He didn't insist on a response. Softly, he ran his fingers through the stoat girl's hair and stroked over her neck where the strands of hair parted. When his fingertips came across something that felt like a circular scar, he paused.

“What did they do to you?”, Sky asked bitterly.

Seki hesitated. “What do you mean?”

She turned around. “Chad and Mason.”

Seki remembered. He had walked past Sky shortly after the assault. She knew.

“Does that happen frequently?”, he asked, evading her question.

“They're bullies”, the stoat replied with a hint of disgust. “And who is a better target than someone new to the Hive?”

Seki didn't answer immediately, he just looked at her anxiously. Her bitterness made him assume that she knew exactly what she was talking about. And that scar. It had to do with it. But how?

“Did … did they – ”

“I tried to run away once”, Sky interrupted him, not letting him finish his question. “I couldn't stand it anymore. I didn't know what I was signing up for. Not everyone is here voluntarily.”

Seki lowered his gaze and let his ears droop. “I know … I know.”

“I met Chad online”, Sky continued. “He said he could help me get away from home. Earn some cash. Make a living. I was stupid.” She stared into space. “I was just stupid.”

Seki embraced the girl when he felt that her sadness was returning. There were no tears in her eyes, but he could feel her pain. She had laid back her ears, and her whiskers were trembling.

“I was forced into the contract. Chad knew exactly what to say to cut me off from everyone. In the end I felt like it was the only way. And I couldn't go back.” She sniveled. “Him and Mason brought me here. Lolly wasn't in charge of newcomers yet … but that changed after Nero found out what they did to me.”

Seki's blood ran cold. A part of him wanted her to keep talking, the other was just terrified and scared of finding out. Knowing that him and Sky shared the same fate made him sad and angry at the same time. He could feel her small hands grabbing hold of his tank top, and he hugged her tightly. She was shaking, and so was her voice when she spoke up once again.

“They wouldn't let me sleep for two days. When I tried to struggle, they beat me or pushed my head into a water bucket and held it down. They almost drowned me. It didn't stop me from fighting back, but I grew weak. They knew that. And whenever they felt like it, they fucked me. Preferably both at once, after all you can do that with a girl. When they weren't using me, they just kept me chained up with all kinds of things put inside me. 'Placeholders', or so they said.”

Seki shuddered. He tried his best to get those images out of his head. “I'm sorry”, he whispered.

She shook her head. “They knew they could have their way with me. I had no other choice but to give up eventually. I let them do what they wanted, and I said what they wanted to hear.” She pushed her face against Seki's neck. “When I tried to run away once, Chad caught me again and branded me.”

Sky slowly turned her head so that Seki could take a look at the scar on the back of her neck. The fur had grown back over the burned skin, yet the hexagonal mark was clearly visible.

“Branded by the Hive”, she said quietly, as if she was ashamed.

Seki noticed that he, too, had started shaking. Anger had flared up inside him. He didn't even care anymore about the things that had been done to him – knowing that Sky had gone through the same was the only thing that enraged him right now.

“How could they …” His voice was a mixture of a growl and a whisper.

“Nero stopped them”, Sky murmured. “He said their methods were rather inefficient. They took too much time.”

“Took too much time?!”, Seki snarled loudly. “That's _all_ he cared about?? Torture is completely fine, as long as it works?!”

The stoat girl nodded slightly. “This is a business.”

“This is _fucked up_.”

Silence again. Seki was on edge, while Sky seemed unusually calm. Almost like a doll – so beautiful, yet without life. Without a will. Was she that broken?

No. There was still fire burning within her. Seki knew it. And as long as there was only just a spark, the fire would flare back up again and again. She was merely keeping it down.

“Our experiences shape us”, Sky eventually spoke into the silence. “Some are painful. And some we would rather forget. Wounds turn into scars, but we keep going. We have to.” She flipped back her hair so it would cover the brand. “Lolly stitched me up again. He's not like Chad. He's not like anyone I know.”

Seki stared at the wall, he couldn't disagree, but he wished that none of these things had happened to her. With all those talents, that unique mindset, Sky wasn't someone who could be kept down for long. Not from the outside. She was keeping herself in check – but was it really for her own good?

“You lied”, he whispered. She didn't like it here. There was no way she did. “You hate this place.”

“No.”

She leaned in and kissed him passionately. Seki's heart skipped a beat, but he gave in to the kiss, his arms wrapped around her body tightly.

“Not anymore.”

Sky gently pushed him down on the bed, she kissed him again and eagerly tugged at his top, urging him to take it off. This time, Seki knew what she wanted. And it blew away the anger like a soothing ocean breeze on a hot summer day.

Quickly, he rid himself of his clothes, and once he was naked as well, he playfully pinned Sky down, kissing her chest, her neck, her cheeks. She put his arms around him, pulling him close, her eyes were full of longing. He lay on top of her, one of his hands lovingly stroked her face, their tails touched and intertwined.

“How are you so pretty”, Seki whispered, and he couldn't help but smile. She smiled back, and answered with another kiss.

“Please use me, Seki”, she said quietly.

He shook his head shortly. “I'm not gonna use you, sweetie”, he replied. “I want you to enjoy this.”

“I will”, she whispered, and let her hand slide down between both of their bodies, to where his cock was pressing against her crotch, and she guided it towards her entrance.

Seki struggled for a second.

“I don't wanna hurt you”, he uttered under his breath.

“You can't hurt me.”

Her pure, reassuring smile let Seki's doubts vanish. Without breaking eye contact, he entered her, slowly and carefully, she was hot and wet, and it felt amazing. Sky pushed up her hips to make it easier for him to get into her, and to encourage him to be a little bit rougher with her. Once he was completely inside her, he dug his arms under her back to fully embrace her, then kissed her and started to thrust slowly. Her hot, tight walls were clenching around his cock already, he felt her warm breath on his cheek, and her hands on his back.

“I'm not gonna let anyone ever hurt you again”, he whispered, going faster, pushing harder.

Little moans of pleasure escaped Sky's lips. “Are _you_ gonna hurt me?”, she asked in a seductive way, her claws slightly dug into Seki's back.

Seki grinned and nibbled at her neck. “Only if you want me to.”

Her chuckle soon drowned in her heavy breathing, Seki's thrusts made her squirm and pant. The fennec licked her cheek as he kept pushing into her, losing himself in the heat. Her reactions only added to the intense feeling. Why couldn't this be his first time? He wanted to forget the night before. Everything about it. There was no denying that sex with Aluna was great, but still, it had been meaningless. No feelings involved – just a raving mad crowd. But Sky …

Seki cast all of his thoughts aside and thrust into the stoat girl as hard as he could, making her moan loudly. He felt her claws scratching over his back, and it made him growl contentedly.

“Fuck …”, he uttered with a feisty smirk. “I think I got a crush on you, girl.”

 

 


	13. Naughty Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lolly wakes up and finds Seki's room empty - when he sees the fennec together with Sky, it doesn't take him long to get the picture. But there is also something he doesn't know.

Lolly woke up and the first thing he did was take the aspirin he had  prophylactically placed on his nightstand when he had gotten into bed. His mouth was dry, so he emptied the whole glass of water in one big gulp. He didn't feel particularly hung over, yet he had to admit that he had overdone it a little the night before. Probably because he hadn't been  on duty . His stomach was a bit upset, but also empty and growling. He yawned and stretched, then checked the time – 10:23AM –, wondering how Seki was and if he had gotten over the nightly events well. 

Lolly decided to take a quick shower and then check up on him.  He stretched again, his fur bristled, then he got out of bed and grabbed some fresh clothes from the wardrobe before entering the bathroom.  Since he had gotten up later than usual and still felt a bit drowsy, he shocked himself awake with a cold shower, and felt much better afterward. Refreshed, he toweled himself down, then put on his clothes. Thinking about Seki made him feel weirdly excited, and he noticed how he had started wagging his tail involuntarily. 

Lolly looked up in the mirror and shook his head.

“We're _not_ catching feelings, aight?”, he commanded himself, but had to grin immediately. Who was he kidding? He wasn't the type for relationships, anyway.  And even if he was, Seki would probably never reciprocate his feelings. He had all reason not to.

The fox left his room and  went towards the canteen, he was really hungry by now. Rick and Snow were both having their cereals in the left corner of the room and mumbled a quiet 'Good morning' when they saw him. Lolly nodded in response, and poured himself some coffee. 

“Worked your ass off last night, huh, cottontail?”, he bantered after taking a sip.

“Literally!” Rick nodded and laughed. “Oh man, it was _rad_.”

“It sure was, too bad the boss is keeping me on a short leash right now.”

“Because of Seki?”, Snow asked.

“Yup.” Lolly took a look inside the fridge and happily remembered that he hadn't eaten all of his lunch the day before. As he was too lazy to make himself something to eat, he just took out the plate with the cold macaroni and placed it in the microwave. 

“There's nothing like mac and cheese for breakfast.”

Rick made an elongated gagging sound and Snow screwed up his face.  It was more than obvious that they didn't quite agree with him.

“Guys, I'm a _fox_ ”, Lolly said and crossed his arms. “Gimme a break.”

“Each to their own”, Rick murmured and Snow chuckled.

“You kids …” Lolly shook his head and waited for the microwave to finish. 

The sun was shining brightly over Dawnhaven, promising a few more warm days before summer would finally end. September was drawing to a close, but Lolly didn't mind, as he preferred the colder seasons of the year. It made being inside more snugly, and around yule tide people tended to be more stressed out than throughout the rest of the year, so that usually meant more cash, too. 

The microwave rang, and Lolly took out his plate. He sat down with a spoon and his coffee and began to eat, he noticed that his macaroni were still partly cold, but as he was really hungry and didn't want to microwave them again, he just kept eating.  His phone vibrated and reminded him of his mother's birthday, and he dismissed the reminder with a frown. 

Little later, he received a text from Neva.

“ _You okay?”_

He sighed quietly. She knew him too well. 

Lolly tended to be a little downcast on his mother's birthday, and he still wondered why he wouldn't delete the reminder. A tiny part of him still wished for a normal life and a normal family. But he didn't want it to drag him down. Not this time. 

“ _Yeah, just got up”_ , was his reply, and he continued to spoon his macaroni. The Hive was his family. It provided everything he needed – everything he wanted. And he had accepted his inability to maintain relationships. There was no reason to keep his hopes up.

The fox scraped the last bits of cheese from the plate and then placed it in the sink together with the spoon. He took another sip from his coffee and then waved at Rick and Snow before leaving the canteen.  He assumed Seki was still asleep, and was all the more surprised when he found his room empty.  Quickly, he checked the bathroom, which was empty as well, and nervousness rose up in his chest. Where had he gone? Nero's office?

The shower seemed like it had been used just a little while ago, and Seki's backpack was still next to the bed. That ruled out an attempted escape. Probably … 

With mixed feelings, Lolly left the room again, already thinking about making his way back to the office to see whether Seki was there or not. Then again, that would probably come across as overly concerned – which he was, but he still had the excuse of being in charge of newcomers. Just before he made up his mind to go nonetheless, his ears shot in the air, as he heard a door open and two very familiar voices.

“See you then.”

“When?”

“Soon enough, don't worry.”

“Alright. See you.”

He peeked around the corner, and he couldn't quite believe that it was actually Sky and Seki talking. But they were – and they both looked rather smitten with each other. Sky retreated to her room, and Lolly waited until she had closed the door before approaching the fennec. Seki startled when he saw him.

“Oh … morning”, he stuttered.

“Morning”, Lolly replied with his head tilted. “Having a little heart-to-heart?”

“Um … kinda … I mean …” 

Lolly stared at the  faltering fennec. That um and err could only mean one thing – just that Lolly was more than surprised. Him and Sky? For real?

He pointed at the door of Sky's room. “You didn't fuck that girl, did you?”

“Uh …” Seki blushed and lowered his gaze immediately. “M-maybe I did …”

Lolly couldn't hold back the laughter. This was obnoxious. Seki – that shy, inexperienced pup – getting laid by Sky? 

The stoat was known  for being …  _ complicated _ . According to some rumors circulating around the Hive, she wasn't interested in sex at all – an asexual, selling her body out of desperation. Lolly knew her better, and he knew those rumors weren't true. But it was hard to get her to open up. And it was even harder to please her sexually. But apparently, Seki had nailed it – somehow.

“Geez, you're killing me.” Lolly tried to stop himself from laughing, and he put his arm around confused Seki. “That's the last thing I would've expected.”

He dragged the fennec along and back to his room. Seki didn't struggle, instead just uttered noises of confusion. 

“I … if I've done anything wrong, I – ”

“Oh, pipe down, will you?”, Lolly cut him off with a chuckle. 

Seki lowered his tail. “I'm sorry …”

“How did this even happen?” Lolly wanted to know everything. He was so taken by surprise that it didn't even matter to him that Seki was seemingly falling for someone else. He deserved it. And Sky deserved it.

Seki slumped down on his bed. “I dunno, I just … We were in her room, and she kinda …”

“Wait, wait, _she_ initiated the whole thing?” The story was getting better and better. 

“Yeah …” For the first time, Lolly saw a smile on Seki's face. “Yeah, she did.”

Seeing him that happy made Lolly feel warm inside. The hint of jealousy was melting away. Sky's past was full of pain, and she was very sensitive. And he could only assume that Seki shared the same fate, which was the reason for them to click. Two broken souls.

“How is this funny, though?”, Seki asked eventually. “Is it because she's … different?”

“You talk like you've known her for your entire life”, Lolly replied. His laughter had ceased, and he was a little more serious now. “But yeah, pretty much.”

Seki sighed. “Are you gonna tell on me?”

“Who do you think I am?”

The fennec shrugged. “A selfish, perverted bastard?”

“Oh, look at you, handing out compliments for free today?” Lolly grinned and approached Seki, who grinned back challengingly. 

“Only because it's you.”

“Now you're just being naughty.” Lolly quickly moved towards Seki and pushed him on his back. The fennec struggled against him, but not very effectively, as if he actually wanted to be held down. Their eyes met, and unlike the last times, Seki didn't look away. There was no more fear flickering in those deep, hazel eyes.

“You better punish me, then.” 

Seki was still grinning, and Lolly was astonished at the speed of his adaptation process. Two days, and the fennec fox was already acting like a full-fledged Hive member.  He wondered what had caused this rapid change. But now wasn't the right time to ponder.

“What's the point of punishing you if you end up enjoying it?”, Lolly retorted with a smile. 

“I could pretend”, Seki answered.

Lolly shook his head slightly. “You just had your fun, don't tease me like that.”

“I'm not sorry.”

Lolly huffed. “Of course you're not.”

For a few moments, they just looked at each other in silence. Lolly sized up the handsome fennec, his pretty face, his toned chest, and his big ears. There was still a bit of resentment floating around in the depths of his mind, something that wanted to get rid of everyone and everything between him and Seki – something that wanted to  _ own _ him, even. He knew this feeling. It was the reason for several failed relationships. And he hated it. 

“Seki …”, he said quietly, and he saw the fennec's smirk vanish. 

“Yeah?”

“I'm not one for many words, but …” He hesitated. “I just want you to be happy.”

Seki didn't reply, but even if he was trying, he couldn't hide his surprise. His eyes seemed to scan Lolly for anything that would hint at what had made him bring this up. And Lolly didn't know whether it had been smart or just plain stupid. Either way, he regretted it.

He shook his head again, harsher this time. “Sorry, just forget I said anything.” He let up on Seki and wanted to turn to the door, but the fennec grabbed his wrist. Lolly looked back at him, his heart was pounding like mad. 

“Sky told me about you. Why you're doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Taking care of anyone new. She told me about Chad.”

Lolly shrugged. “Well, he just wasn't doing a good job.  Neither him nor Mason.”

Sadness was spreading on Seki's face. “You don't know … do you?”

His grip on Lolly's wrist loosened, and eventually, he let go. “You don't know what they did to her … to us.”

Concerned, Lolly turned back at Seki and crouched down in front of him. What was he talking about? He seemed terribly serious all of a sudden. It made his flesh creep. 

“What, Seki?”, he asked urgently. “What do I not know?”

The fennec fox remained silent, as if he couldn't bring himself to speak. Lolly carefully put his hands on Seki's cheeks and looked into his eyes.

“Talk to me.”

Seki gently freed himself and sighed deeply. His ears were droopy. 

“They tortured her.” His voice was full of hate and disgust. “They hurt her. They made her do humiliating things. Didn't anyone ever tell you?”

Lolly felt like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over him. He was hot and cold at the same time, and shivers were running down his spine. He knew  that both Chad and Mason were mischievous scalawags, they were violent and they liked it rough, but he couldn't believe that they would resort to torture to make someone compliant. Was this why Sky was the way she was? Why hadn't she ever said a word? And Seki …?

“What did they do to you? Were they here?”

Seki shook his head. “Last night, when I was in the restroom and you were busy taking shots.”

Lolly's heart dropped into his gut. Seki's words hit him hard. Even though he didn't know whether it had been supposed to be an accusation or not – it sure felt like one. 

“I …” He didn't know what to say. He had no words. Could this really be? 

But Seki's resentment was real. 

In his helplessness, Lolly pulled Seki into his arms and swore himself to never let go again.

“I'm so sorry”, he whispered. 

Seki hugged him back. Tightly. “I know.”

 

 


	14. Termination For Cause

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two days have passed since Seki's confessions. Chad's actions are reported - and Seki isn't the only one who wants him fired.

Seki was trembling slightly. His knees felt weak, and all he could do was stare to the ground uneasily while waiting outside of Nero's office. Sky was sitting next to him, but they hadn't spoken a single word. He could feel her tension as well, none of them really knew what was going to happen. An unbearable silence reigned the empty corridor. The big, heavy office door swallowed all sounds that could possibly reach the outside, and even though Seki knew that it applied both ways, he still didn't dare to speak. So he remained silent, waiting, hoping, and the minutes just kept crawling by. Sky sighed quietly, and Seki tried to catch a glimpse of her eyes, but she avoided his gaze. Her arms were wrapped around herself, the tip of her tail twitched from time to time.

Only two days had passed since Seki had confessed to Lolly, and while at first he had been glad and relieved, he felt somewhat guilty now for dragging Sky into the prosecution. She had kept everything to herself for a reason, and Seki had exposed her – but then again, he really hadn't expected Lolly's reaction and his determination to have Chad punished. After those past days at the Hive, Seki had been almost sure that Lolly would just shrug it off as hazing and tell him to get used to it. In the end, Lolly hadn't treated him with much respect either at the beginning. Him and Chad had behaved rather similarly, in fact. Still – Lolly hadn't ever had the intention of hurting anyone. Seki knew that. Even back then, he had known.

Lolly had insisted on reporting the incidents to Nero, and now, him and Chad were in the office, while Seki and Sky were supposed to wait outside. Seki wasn't quite sure why, and he was scared of having to testify in front of Chad or Nero or both, he wished he had just kept his mouth shut. But when he thought of Sky and what had been done to her, he regained some of his courage. Or perhaps it was just his anger that drove away the fear. It didn't matter to him, he welcomed anything that would make him strong enough to get through this mess and to face whatever was going to happen. He knew that Chad was furious, he had tossed several unmentionable insults at Lolly as well, calling him a traitor and a soft-hearted son of a bitch. In case Nero sided with him, Sky and the two foxes would be in for a hard time, and that would make everything much worse. Seki had just started to settle in at the Hive, and he had tried his best not to draw too much attention to himself – since Lolly was doing that for him already –, but with a demonic wolf and a psychopath of a hyena against him, his life would keep going downhill for sure.

Seki startled slightly when Sky put her warm hand on his arm.

“Lolly knows what he's doing”, she said softly.

Seki looked at her, then lowered his gaze and sighed. “I hope you're right.”

Time passed slowly, each minute seemed like an eternity. Seki felt like his gut was filled with stones. He couldn't stop himself from flinching when the office door was opened violently and the sound tore through the silence. Chad, obviously still infuriated, left the office, shortly followed by Lolly, who pushed him ahead and then closed the door in a more careful manner.

“I'll make you regret this”, the hyena growled, his ears were pinned to the back of his head.

“Save your threats”, Lolly replied harshly. “You won't do nothing. Now _beat it_.”

Chad turned around at the fox, his eyes were glistening dangerously. “You're making a mistake, Zac. Did that pretty fox boy soften you up, huh? Straight from the streets, charity case.”

Seki's stomach convulsed when Chad mentioned him. His heart was beating fast, and he shivered. Lolly remained exceptionally calm, yet his voice held a hint of suppressed anger.

“This is not just about him, and you know it.”

“Whatever it's about, I hope it was worth it”, Chad answered with bared teeth.

“I said beat it”, Lolly growled, his voice was an angry whisper, his fur was bristled like he was about to explode. “Or I swear you won't make it to the front door alive. GET OUT!”

Sky and Seki both flinched at Lolly's yelled order. The fennec hadn't ever seen Lolly angry, he couldn't even believe it was possible to enrage him like that. Chad, however, didn't seem to be very intimidated – if at all, then perhaps for a second – but he stood his ground.

“You're not scaring me”, he said condescendingly and took a step closer to look straight into Lolly's face. “I don't care if you're half wolf. To me, you'll always be just a slutty fox.”

He winked and shortly glanced at Seki, then huffed in disbelief and turned away. Just in time, because Lolly looked like he was about to murder whoever dared to get close to him now. His fists were clenched, and even though Seki could just see his back, Lolly's stance alone spoke volumes. His shoulders were quivering with each heavy breath that he took, his tail was raised high. He was tense, the fur at the back of his neck was ruffled and stood on end. Everything about him displayed burning rage and the predator lingering inside.

The wolf lingering inside …

“Seki.” He addressed the fennec without turning around. “Nero wants to see you.”

“A-alright …”, Seki stuttered and struggled to his feet. He couldn't force out anything else, so he just walked over to the door and opened it hesitantly. It was even heavier than he had expected, and a wall of hot air confronted him when he entered the office, accompanied by the smell of cigarette smoke.

The office room was quite large, with a window facade opposite to the door. Tall mahogany shelves at the walls held several white files and folders, turning the office into a very formal looking library. Nero was sitting behind a big desk in the middle of the room, not any less intimidating than the way Seki had him in mind. The wolf was smoking a cigarette and gestured Seki to come a bit closer.

“I have been informed about a couple of … _unfortunate_ events”, he spoke.

Seki didn't know what to reply, or if to reply at all, so he stayed quiet and nodded slightly.

“You see, this place is supposed to be a place of pleasure – primarily – and even though I, myself, have come in contact with violence just like you, I do not tolerate the excessive use of it. The goods are not to be damaged.” Nero exhaled, and blew a cloud of smoke towards the ceiling.

“The … the goo– ” Seki interrupted himself repeating Nero's words. “I understand, sir.”

“I believe you do”, the wolf replied with his red eyes resting on Seki. “Sadly, it turned out that some of my handlers could not be trusted anymore. I hereby apologize for the inconvenience. It won't happen again.”

Seki timidly nodded again. “Thank you, sir.” After a short pause, he intuitively added, “I'd like to apologize, too.”

Nero tilted his head a bit. “Hmm?”

“I …” Seki struggled to find the right words. He was surprised at how calm and, especially, how friendly the huge wolf was, yet Seki was still horribly nervous. He lowered his head and tail.

“I apologize for the things I said … before I came here. I was being disrespectful, and I'm sorry.”

A deep, hoarse chuckle was the answer. Nero stubbed out his cigarette.

“You are a fast learner, indeed”, he said. “I accept your apology.”

“Thank you, sir”, Seki replied automatically, and lowered his head a little further.

“I hope you realize that this will not lead to a sooner release”, Nero added. “You will stay here as long as I want you to.”

Seki tensed up, but he tried to hide it. “Of course, sir.”

“Good. You are dismissed”, Nero said. “Send Sky in, would you. Zac should be waiting outside.”

“Zac …”, Seki whispered under his breath.

Lolly's real name …?

The fennec fox bowed, and turned to the door. He was glad to escape Nero's eery presence. Even when calm, the black wolf had this highly intimidating aura, and Seki couldn't handle it at all. Quickly, he walked back to the door, but just when he was about to leave, another thought struck his mind. He hesitated.

“Um … sir?”

“What is it?”, Nero asked impatiently.

“One more thing …”, Seki uttered and turned around. “What about Mason?”

Nero huffed. “That hack of a dingo? I've left it at a warning.”

It felt like a punch in the stomach, and the disappointment was as bitter as bile. A thousand questions rushed into Seki's head. But he didn't ask. He swallowed the frustration, along with the bitter taste. All he could do was trust in Nero's decision – and hope. He nodded.

“I see. Thank you for your time, sir.”

 

The temperature change was the first thing Seki noticed when he left the office, cool air was wafting towards him once he had closed the door. The second thing was how light he suddenly felt. There was no more tension weighing down on him. He took a deep breath.

“How did it go?”, Sky asked anxiously. She was still sitting in her chair and hadn't changed position at all. Lolly had sat down on the floor a few feet away with his back against the wall. Both of them were looking at Seki expectantly.

“Well … he sorta apologized for Chad and everything.”

Lolly just nodded in response and raised his thumb.

Sky slowly rose to her feet. “Apologized? … Do I have to go in, too?”

“Yeah, he told me to send you”, Seki replied and hugged her shortly. “Don't worry, girl”, he whispered and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It'll be fine.”

Sky nodded shortly and uttered a quiet 'okay'. Seki looked after the stoat girl until she had entered the office and closed the door behind her. Then, he turned at Lolly, who was weirdly quiet.

“So … Zac, huh?”

“That's right.”

Seki sat down next to the fox. He could tell there was a lot going on inside Lolly at the moment, and he didn't want to stir the pot even more. Although he wished he knew more about him. Until now, most of what he had seen had been Lolly's cheerful work mode – but Seki knew all about facades.

“I'm sorry you had to see me like that”, Lolly murmured eventually. “I was really on edge.”

“He was your friend, wasn't he?”

“Sort of.” He sighed. “Well, I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought.”

“I'm not blaming y– ”

“But I'm blaming _myself_.” Lolly stared down the corridor. His voice was shaky. “This place. It's so shallow. Sometimes you just, you kinda, lose sight of what's important, you know.” He sighed again, deeply. “I feel like, at some point, I would've ended up just like him.”

“No.”

Seki was surprised at how assertive he had sounded, but not any more surprised than Lolly. The fox looked at him, wide-eyed, like it was the first time somebody would force him out of his thinking patterns. Seki shook his head.

“There's no way you would've ended up like Chad. You're different”, he said softly, and pointed at the office door. “You can ask Sky. She's fond of you. You fixed her. And you …” Seki gestured helplessly, trying his hardest to convince Lolly. “You … I mean … Hell, you showed me a really good time. I didn't even know I was into guys. Or into sex. Or anything.”

Lolly's chops curled into a little smile, and he chuckled. Seki tilted his head, not sure how to interpret this reaction.

“Man, I thought _I_ was bad with words”, Lolly murmured, and the smile turned into a grin. “You really suck at this.”

Seki rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from chuckling as well.

“I'm trying, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah”, Lolly answered and put his arm around Seki to hug him tightly. “It's been nothing but trouble since you showed up here, you know that?”

“Well, tell _me_ about it”, Seki yapped. “It's not like I'm getting out of here any time soon.”

“As if you'd want that.” Lolly licked across Seki's cheek.

The fennec fox shuddered for a moment, but he appreciated Lolly's gesture of affection. He sure wasn't good with words – neither of them were –, but Seki knew how to read someone's feelings. And while his own heart undoubtedly longed for Sky, he could tell that Lolly harbored feelings for him, even though hidden underneath that cheerful smile, the jokes and silly excuses. Lolly wasn't just out for sex, he could feel that. Not when it came to Seki.

However, Seki didn't know how to respond. For the time being, he enjoyed the experience of being cared about, no matter by whom, as it was an unfamiliar, yet addicting feeling. Sky and Lolly had different ways of showing affection – but Seki wouldn't want to go without either of them. It felt like a tiny family forming around him. A family he had chosen.

And had been chosen by.

Under the weirdest circumstances.

 


	15. Stirred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seki is trying to process the recent events, and Lolly suggests going out in the evening. While waiting for the fox to finish his shift, Seki runs into a strangely familiar canine ...

“How are you doing?”

Seki raised his head. He had been sitting in the lounge by himself, with his knees drawn to his chest, thinking about the recent events. Lolly was standing in front of him now, holding a cup of tea. The fennec fox lowered his gaze again.

“I'm alright”, he murmured. “It's been a bit much.”

“Yeah, tell me about it”, Lolly sighed and put the cup on the coffee table. “But with Chad gone, we should be able to relax. Especially you.” He sat down next to Seki. “Which means we can finally work out a schedule for you, too.”

“A schedule?”, Seki asked. He had almost forgotten that the Hive was his new working place now, and, after all, he hadn't really had any interaction with clients yet. While he had somehow survived that strange party in the souterrain, he wasn't sure how he should deal with customers – _alone_.

“Don't worry about it”, Lolly said. “You're definitely ready.”

“If you say so.”

Seki silently watched the frail veil of steam rising from the teacup. It reminded him of the fog shrouding the empty streets of his hometown during the early hours of a cold morning. Was it a hint of homesickness? No … He just wanted to breathe fresh air again. To be outside, to be free. He no longer despised this place – but he loved to roam about, and now, he couldn't. It was a golden cage indeed.

“I got some good news”, Lolly said, as if he was reading Seki's mind. “Nero might not be the most pleasant person at times, but he does care a lot about his own principles. And that includes making things right after they've gone wrong.” He held up a small device that sort of looked like a scanner. “Sorry I haven't told you yet, but you've been microchipped.”

Anger flared up inside Seki again, but just for a second. After all he had gone through, this really wasn't worth getting all worked up over anymore. And it wasn't like he was that surprised, anyway.

“How is this good news”, he huffed.

Lolly made an appeasing gesture. “At ease. We all got one. It's mostly for security.” He approached Seki and let his fingers run over the left side of his neck. Seki flinched, and couldn't hide the suspicion.

“So …?”, he asked.

“For troublemakers like you, the chip sends out an alarm, should you have the audacity to run away. It also functions as a tracking transmitter, so you'd be found and brought back in no time.” Lolly placed the scanning device at Seki's neck, and Seki heard a short beeping noise. The fox continued, “I'm deactivating the alarm function. Nero said it's about time you get to see the outside world again. Try to look at it as some sort of … compensation.”

“Compensation, huh?” Seki looked up. “So what's gonna happen now?”

Lolly nodded towards the teacup. “Whenever you feel like it, hit me up and I'll show you around the city a bit. We can have a drink or two, have a good time, yeah?”

Seki stared at the cup. “What about that schedule”, he murmured.

Lolly sighed. “Oh pup, you need to ease up a little”, he said. “Try to have some fun. You've been all bummed out since Chad got fired, what's the matter?”

The fennec fox didn't reply. He reached out for the teacup and remained silent, even after he had taken a few sips. Lolly slumped into an armchair.

“Uh-oh, I get it. _Girl_ problems.”

“Huh?”

“It's Sky, isn't it?” Lolly tilted his head. “She hasn't talked to you.”

Seki uttered a noise of frustration and slightly tightened his grip on the cup. The fox was right, at least partly, but Seki didn't want to admit it. Sky had been rather distant for the past days. Perhaps he was just imagining it, since he barely knew her, and they had only properly talked – or interacted – once. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that she was avoiding him. And being all trapped inside the Hive, there hadn't been much distraction for him. He couldn't deny that he was relieved that he was finally allowed to go outside again. And Lolly … well, Lolly seemed to be quite eager to help him get his mind off things.

“Give her some time”, the fox said with a knowing grin. “She isn't used to someone genuinely caring about her.”

“That's not it.” Seki shook his head. “I shouldn't have dragged her into this. I should have left it up to her whether she wanted to report –”

“Hold up, hold up”, Lolly cut him off. “ _That_ is what's been bugging you? Dude, this is a _family,_ we gotta keep each other safe. There's absolutely nothing you've done wrong.”

Seki didn't answer right away. He knew that Lolly was probably right, and still, he felt like a traitor. He didn't want to lose Sky's trust. It felt like the most precious thing in the world to him.

“She's so …” He started, quietly, but then stopped again. Slightly shaking his head, he took another sip and closed his eyes. Something told him that Sky was someone he just couldn't let go ever again. He had to keep her safe. He _wanted_ to keep her safe. To shelter that broken, magical girl.

“Aight, we're definitely going out tonight”, Lolly said after a while and stretched his arms. “Can't just leave you here like this.”

Seki's ears drooped. He looked at the fox, who gave him a feisty grin, just like always.

“Okay.”

“Good, then that's settled.” Lolly clapped his hands and got up. “I'll pick you up at around 9, so don't go wandering off.” He winked, then turned around to leave. Seki looked after him, he admired Lolly's ability to cover up emotions. There was no way that he had already gotten over the things that Chad had done. But then again, Seki was the one who had endured the past days without really questioning anything anymore. His own emotions had been redyed over and over again. How should he know if Lolly was any different?

The fennec fox finished the rest of his tea, then stood up to bring the cup back to the canteen. He caught himself being slightly excited about going out. There wasn't much of Dawnhaven that he had gotten to see yet. And Seki was an explorer. He loved knowing everything about a place, all the shortcuts, the secret hiding spots, the quiet and the well-frequented areas, the rooftops that granted the best view of the sunset, everything. His tail began to wag a little.

When he walked along the corridor and past Sky’s room, the door opened and the blue-haired stoat appeared in the doorway. Seki’s heart missed a beat and time seemed to slow down for a moment. Sky looked at him and her green eyes met his. Then, a little smile showed up on her face.

“Hey”, she said gently. “Sorry.” She nodded towards the end of the corridor. “Work.”

Then she walked away, leaving Seki with nothing but a warm, tingly feeling inside. She had smiled at him. Maybe, her avoiding him had really been just his imagination.

The fennec fox looked after her for a while before continuing his way to the canteen. His thoughts still circled around the stoat girl when he arrived, his stomach felt fuzzy and his head light. Even though he hadn’t ever truly been in love, he was sure that this was more than just a teenage crush.

The canteen was empty, or so he thought at first, as his mind was quite distracted – but once he had placed his cup in the dishwasher, a weirdly familiar scent reached his nose, not all too pleasant. Seki immediately turned his head and his eyes scanned the spacious room. In the far right corner, he noticed a well-built maned wolf sitting in silence, occupied with a book he was reading. Seki growled quietly and laid back his ears. It was the same maned wolf he had encountered on his first day in Dawnhaven – one of Nero’s so-called handlers.

The red-furred canine looked at him shortly, and, to Seki’s surprise, gestured him to be quiet, just when the fennec fox wanted to raise his voice. Seki gave him a suspicious look. Hesitantly, he took a few steps forward.

“What?”, he asked with bristled fur.

Nodding downwards on the faux leather bench, the maned wolf signaled him that it wasn’t just the two of them in the canteen. When Seki took a closer look, he saw a fluffy white tail, and Snow’s curled up body next to the red dog, with his head bedded in his lap, sleeping.

The fennec instantly raised his tail and bared his teeth.

“You stay away from Snow!”, he growled.

Everything came crashing back down on him, the rape, the kicks and punches, the freakish laughter, the helplessness – it all rushed through his mind like a time-lapse movie, just a very fucked up one – he thought of the party in the souterrain and the encounter in the restroom, of Sky, of Chad, of all the suppressed anger and Lolly’s shocked face. Nothing – nothing of all that should ever happen to that innocent little wolf.

The red canine shook his hair, ignoring Seki’s anger.

“He came here by himself. He’s tired.”

His voice was hard to define, somewhat gentle, and, if anything, very calm. He seemed different, not as condescending as Chad or Mason, but that wasn’t enough for Seki to settle down.

“Don’t you _dare_ laying a finger on him or I will _personally_ rip out your spine.”

Seki’s thoughts only revolved around one thing: protect. He saw himself back in the streets, fighting, fighting for the sake of wounded friends or for all those girls who were unlucky enough to become the victims of sexual predators when all they wanted was a good time at the bar. And even though the scenery had changed, even though Seki’s personal situation had changed and he wasn’t as free as before, his instinct to fight and to protect hadn’t. It was burning bright as ever.

The maned wolf obviously did not fail to notice Seki’s will to fight. However, he remained calm. He put down his book and looked at the fennec fox with dark eyes.

“Save your threats”, he said. “I am not your enemy. Neither am I his.”

“You – “

“I acknowledge that my colleagues have done things that weren’t right. But I must ask you to not lump A with B. I’m not like them, and they’re not like me. And I have no interest in misusing my power just so that I can have my own way. I have a lovely wife at home and I’m here to _work_. That’s all.”

Seki wanted to retort angrily, but just in that moment, Snow’s ears twitched and the little canine opened his eyes.

“Oh”, he muttered sleepily. With a big yawn, Snow sat up and stretched his arms. “I fell asleep. I’m sorry. I’ll go to my room.”

“It’s alright.” The maned wolf patted Snow’s head gently. “You go rest up.”

The young white wolf stood up and blinked at Seki, just now realizing he was there.

“Hi!” He shortly hugged the fennec fox with his usual jolliness, but the fatigue was clearly visible in his brown eyes. Had he been up all night? His playful, feminine outfit suggested that he had been with a client. Seki thought of Rick and the panther and tried to swallow his anger.

“Hey”, he said and forced himself to stay calm. “You okay?”

Snow nodded and gave him an adorable grin. “Yes, but tired. Byeee!” He waved, his hands covered by his sleeves that were somewhat too long.

“See you, Snow.”

The white wolf toddled to the exit of the canteen and was soon out of sight. Seki’s eyes were now pinned on the maned wolf again.

“Aren’t you one of Nero’s handlers?”

The red dog huffed. “I’m a guardian.”

He pointed at the chair across the table he was sitting at. “Have a seat. I think you need some more information about this place.”

 


End file.
